Comme des Garcons x Stussy Collab: What Makes It So Special

In the fashion world, there are two worlds colliding and not only the style of fashion, but also the concept of clothing, its meaning and purpose. It’s a clash like this Comme des Garcons x Stussy. But this brand went on to become an empire that took the notion “fashion must hurt as much as possible in the nicest garment” to a new level. The other was a fashion that should be as free as salt air or not caring what people think or as free as a weekend morning. However, every time these two are in the same room together there’s something to make it memorable.

It is NOT a story about two brands putting their names on a t-shirt and branding it as ‘collaboration’.It is not a story of two brands putting their logos on a t-shirt and declaring it as a ‘collaboration’. It’s a tale of common DNA, improbable friendship and when authenticity meets authenticity. In order to grasp the resonance of this relationship, it is crucial to get to know the start of the brands and how they came about.

The Woman Who Dared to Make Fashion Ugly and Changed Everything

The fashion designer Rei Kawakubo didn’t go to school at all and began her career as a Fashion Designer. She studied at Keio University in Tokyo where she majored in fine arts and literature, graduating in 1964, before working for a textile company for two years in advertising work, and then becoming one of the many freelance stylists. When man first stepped on the moon in 1969, she began to make and design her own clothing – her new nickname “like boys”. Until she struck out a check mark, it was a statement.

Ever since 1973, Comme de garcon has been a business. In 1975, she launched The first Tokyo Boutique. She had already been running more than 150 franchise locations in Japan by the early 1980’s with 80 employees and in excess of $30 million in annual sales. Then in 1981 she went to Paris with her designs and fashion was taken aback. She was dubbed by the critics the “Hiroshima bag lady look”. One of the “digs your head in the sand” headlines was on Women’s Wear Daily today. This is what she didn’t do, however, she didn’t flinch. She kept going. It was these same critics who, in the next few years, proclaimed her a genius.

That was the thought that no one had ever thought of Kawakoku’s idea of fashion art playing at its raw, challenging and uncomfortable side. Her designs were related to asymmetry, deconstruction and deliberate imperfection. Despite being swept up by the wave of fashion, she was of color and silhouette when she opposed, black was colorless. She established an empire within her sub-labels: CDG Play, CDG Shirt, Parfums CDG and many other labels; one could be found, both on and off, many types of people. Her company and affiliates’ sales are more than $280 million in 2017. Not bad for a man that no man made!

The Surfer Who Accidentally Invented Streetwear

It begins with salt water and a large black marker with it and it’s a tale about Shawn Stussy. At the time he was working in Laguna Beach, California where he produced his surfboards and included a looping signature in all of his surfboard signatures, encouraged to do so by his uncle, abstract painter Jan Stussy. In 1981/82, he began to add some boards, and some Hanes t-shirts with the same signature. Sales of boards over 3 days were more than 24 boards. He didn’t want to sell them; he just wanted to sell t-shirts and so they went flying out of his hands. They ended up losing a thousand towards the end of the show.

Several years later he would say “I was like, oh f*ck, are you kidding me?” No idea of a business plan existed. No investor. No vision board. Just a surfer who somehow managed to come upon the idea that he’d made something that people wanted.

Stussy established an official business and began to sell clothing as a legitimate business – Stussy Inc. – in 1984. The remainder of the story was really awesome! Surfers were not the only ones to wear the brand, skateboarders and hip-hop culture, punk kids and anybody who felt like an outsider, but wanted to look like an insider. By 1990, revenue was at $17 million. In fact, it was operated by a young boy named James Jebbia which later in 1994 launched Supreme. This brand was available in 1987 in Japan, Europe and Australia. In fact, Japan still remains the largest market for Stussy and approximately 60% of Stussy’s business includes international sales, outside of the U.S. market.

Why These Two Brands Were Always Going to Find Each Other

Overtly, there’s no justification for Comme des Garcons and Stussy to be in the same category. Not only is it a fashion show, it’s one that has transformed into an art performance and the first is a Japanese high fashion house. The latter is a streetwear California brand that started with their cute T-shirts, which they make in cars. So, after a period of time using both brands, you start to notice that there is this anti-pattern that is not present in other brands: you begin to notice a thread.

CDG’s focus is on the future. But it wasn’t the hottest Stussy. The concept of CDG was to allow clothes to do as much as they look. His mindset of an outfit makes you feel like you’re in there, rather than in a man-made one. Last but not at all least there’s the multi-brand retail idea, one that’s both quite sensible and a Kawakubo and her hubby Adrian Joffe’s Dover Street Market – and incidentally one of Stussy’s few third party stockists. For more than 20 years these two brands have been sharing the flesh. It’s only natural that it would be a collaboration, many times.

Every Time They Dropped Together: The Complete Collaboration History

This is NOT a one off CDG x Stussy. A long, continuous conversation, a respectful conversation, between two houses.

The 40th Anniversary Varsity Jacket, which came out December 15th, 2020, was the first item to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Stussy with the embroidered number “1980–2020” on the front. This was a black melton wool with oversized fit and chenille patches and it sported a CDG and a Stussy logo on it, a Stussy bucket hat on the sleeves, and a CDG perfume bottle on it. Retail price: $450 USD. Finally, it got to the “ridiculous heights” to which the fashion press attributes the second market.

The Full 40th Anniversary Capsule Celebrations restarted in November 2020, expanded CDG’s sub-label with a greater capsule release. A striped Bing jacket, the Beach pants, an olive bomber jacket worn by soldiers and some with the Surfman figure with the CDG branding. It wasn’t really a product launch, it was a celebration of two brands which have been spinning for years.

In February 2021, CDG Parfums launched the Stussy Laguna Beach Fragrance but there were no plans announced. To help them create a “laid back vibrational force” CDG Parfums released a perfume that had to be the essence of the Laguna beach concept, that is, marine, moss, Atlas cedar and white solar flower notes. It was more than that, it was a perfume. It was world-building. In 2023 it was re-released at the Japanese Parfums flagship of CDG.

September, 2021 – Coach Jacket, Hoodie & Tees are out. A black and white sweatshirt, white and black hooded sweatshirt and black and white coach jacket for 2021. The CDG x Stussy Surf Guy logo adorned the back of the hoodie. It was a real thing, worn by it and not a marketing ploy exploiting those who are friends of the Stussy London Chapter in a shot by Mark Lebon. The tees cost $100 and the cost of the coach jacket was $240.