PARIS, Oct 7, 2008 / FW/ — The prêt-a-porter season might have just ended, but the biggest news is not on the runway but on the streets of Paris with the announcement that Comme des Garcons is collaborating with H&M for a full men’s and women’s collection for H&M, complete with accessories and a unisex fragrance.
A thrilling coup for H&M, the collection is expected to debut at H&M’s new Tokyo store on November 8th, then entering approximately 200 stores worldwide on November 13th. The collection will be designed by Rei Kawakubo, one of the most significant figures in modern fashion.
“I thought it would be an exciting event to work with H&M in order to sell Comme des Garçons clothes in places where they have never been sold and to appeal to people who may not yet understand Comme des Garçons. Marrying the commercial expertise of H&M with Comme des Garçons creation was a fascinating challenge”, says Rei Kawakubo, Comme des Garçons.
Kawakubo is a designer who thrives on challenge and contradiction, and even though at the heart of her work is the desire to make something new, the result is consistently satisfying and surprisingly wearable clothes. It’s what has given her such a loyal following since she founded Comme des Garçons in 1969, and it’s what makes the collection for H&M such a treat.
For women, one strong group of jackets and skirts play with deconstruction, resulting in an incredible pattern of seams, while another group has classic Comme des Garçons style boiled wool and gabardine pieces. Also in the collection is the perfect trench coat, beautifully cut shirts and jersey pieces bedecked in the signature Comme des Garçons’ polka dot. Finishing the look are polka dot weekend bags, slip-on canvas shoes, canvas lace-up shoes and a new version for H&M of Comme des Garçons’ celebrated wallets.
For men, suits and shirts have been cut on the bias, while other shirts use the typical Comme des Garçons’ patchwork techniques. There are more classic pieces too, like a double-breasted belted trench coat, a boiled wool pea coat and trousers, hand-drawn polka dot T-shirts and shirts as well as the famous Comme des Garçons’ classic shirt available in colours from black through blue and grey to white. Accessories include lace-up and slip-on canvas shoes and a hat and scarf.
[MARI DAVIS]
Photos by Andreas Sjödin, courtesy of H&M
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