Is Comme des Garçons High End?

The answer is it is indeed super high end: Comme des Garçons. That’s just one word, though, and there is so much more to it than that – and it’s far more interesting than it sounds like a brand that’s most likely known for its red heart logo.

Comme des Garçons commands a unique and intriguing position in fashion. The brand conducts full fledged luxury runway shows which appear in Paris, on the same ramp as Chanel and Dior. Meanwhile, it has a $50 t-shirt with a cartoon heart on it that you can purchase at a mall. It’s possible for them to both be true, and it’s possible for both of them to be part of why the brand carries so much weight.

So, we’ll dissect the location, the high-end factor and the huge disparity between the prices of different items you can find in Comme des Garçons.

Who Is Behind Comme des Garçons?

Comme des Garçons was founded by Rei Kawakubo in Tokyo back in 1969. The brand was built from the ground up; she has never had any fashion training, which is one of the reasons why her brand is different than everyone else’s. For Kawakubo, clothing is akin to the blank canvas of an artist: it does not have to flatter the body; it can challenge it.

Her debut presentation in Paris in 1981 left critics “without a place to go”. It was dark, lopsided, raw edges, it was nothing like the refined glamour Paris was accustomed to. Others found it to be an eyesore. Some people even called it genius! Since then, the fashion community have been debating Comme des Garçons, and this debate is what makes the brand relevant.

What Makes a Brand “High End” in the First Place?

It would be beneficial to understand the meaning of high end in the world of fashion before responding to the question of whether Comme des Garçons or not qualifies to be listed there. There are a few elements that distinguish between high-end brands and everyday labels:

• Craftsmanship – materials and construction above mass-market quality.
• Exclusivity – production in batches rather than perpetual restocks.
• Design innovation – new ideas not imitating fads.
• Cultural influence– the brand is a shaper of fashion and not a follower.
• Heritage- a decades-long track record, not seasonal.

Comme des Garcon ticks all these boxes, and it has been doing so more than 50 years.

The Runway Collections: Where the “High End” Label Truly Fits

It is in the main Comme des Garçons line that the brand is best able to gain its luxury status. The collections are presented in Paris twice a year at the fashion week, and they are constructed using the type of construction and quality of materials as you would with any large luxury house.

Jackets and scarce items of such collections can easily cost you a few thousand dollars. It is more than merely a cost of fabric that pricing represents: it is the reputation of decades of design, a low production volume, and a degree of conceptual daring that not many brands will dare, much less achieve.

These works are not found in the malls. They are sold in up-market multi-brand boutiques and in a few department stores, and to a client who is already well informed as to what he/she is committing to buy into.

CDG Play: The Accessible Side of Comme des Garçons

It is here that things become interesting – and most people are confused about pricing.

In 2002, Comme des Garçons introduced CDG Play, a sub-label that was established on a single concept, a red heart with eyes, created by a Polish artist Filip Pagowski. The Filip Pagowski-designed heart logo has become one of the most recognizable symbols of style in fashion today, denoting fun, love, and creativity.

CDG Play is in a totally different price range compared to the main line. The prices of T-shirts, hoodies, and cardigans of this sub-label are much lower than those of the runway, and yet they feature the name of the brand and that recognizable heart.

The important point to realize is:

• CDG Play continues to be constructed using quality materials and construction.
• It has the same brand DNA and design philosophy as the core line.
• It is clearly meant to be more wearable and more accessible.
• It is not that the brand has changed to mass-market; it is that the brand has created an intelligent entry point.

You should consider it in the same manner that you tend to consider the entry-level model of a luxury car brand. It remains that brand, created to the standards of that brand, only targeted towards a broader audience.

So Why Is Comme des Garçons So Expensive?

More than just the name on the label drives up CDG’s price. The quality is good, and the design process is done on a new level as opposed to the mass-produced streetwear.

The prices on the brand are motivated by a few factors:

• You are buying originality – Comme des Garçons do not follow trends; they set them.
• Small production batches – the brand does not want to saturate the market.
• Generations of design reputation – the name is a weight that has been earned in 50+ years.
• Conceptual value – the value is based on the design philosophy and the brand heritage, not on the tangible product.

Not all of them are about luxurious fabrics, either – there are designs, which are made to be simply straightforward. That is a part of the philosophy as well. Comme des Garçons has never been a question of flash, as an end in itself.

Comme des Garçons Compared to Other Luxury Brands

In case you are attempting to put Comme des Garçons side by side with other names that you are familiar with, here is the ranking of the name. The brand is positioned on par with the other avant-garde luxury houses as opposed to commercial mass-luxury brands.

Maison Margiela has an equally avant-garde style, combining deconstructed silhouettes with luxurious fabrics, and occupies a similar price and prestige range. Junya Watanabe, and is a brand under the Comme des Garçons umbrella name, has the same ethos of avant-garde experimental cuts and an architectural design, at an even greater price point than the main CDG line.

This is the company Comme des Garçons retains. It is not competing with fast fashion or even with mainstream contemporary brands; it is talking to the most esteemed names in conceptual fashion. Also search on Google.

Where Comme des Garçons Shows Up in Culture

Part of what keeps a brand “high-end” is relevance — and Comme des Garçons has never lost it. The Comme des Garçons runway show was attended by the well-known New York artist Jean-Michel Basquiat way back in the 1980s, an event which solidified the brand into the art and counterculture bracket, long before the art of collaboration was introduced into the fashion vocabulary.

That was a bond that could never be forgotten. Comme des Garçons has been defining the culture of luxury fashion and streetwear since high-fashion runway collections, as well as the partnership with such companies as Nike and Converse. Not many brands can remain relevant in the two worlds, and remaining relevant is a sign of high end status.

The Verdict: Is Comme des Garçons High End?

Yes — without question. Its core runway line is priced at the highest level of luxury and prestige and is comfortably in the same category as the most revered brands in the conceptual fashion industry. CDG Play is a more accessible entry point, but it does not weaken the brand, but rather expands it.

The luxury fashion brands are characterized by exclusivity, artisanship, heritage and worldwide recognition, and Comme des Garçons ticks all those criteria with their innovative design and their strong presence in the market. You may be purchasing a $50 CDG Play tee with the heart logo on it, or you may be purchasing a several-thousand-dollar runway jacket, but you are purchasing the same 50-year design philosophy, albeit at varying points of entry.

Are you looking to buy original Comme des Garçons in the US? The entire range of products, such as CDG Play hoodies, t-shirts, cardigans, and the CDG x Converse and CDG x Adidas Samba collections, is available at commeedesgarcons.us, and they ship fast throughout the United States.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Comme des Garçons a luxury brand?

Yes. Comme des Garçons can be regarded as a luxury fashion brand, although there are some playful sub-labels such as CDG Play, the runaway collections of the fashion house are not only high-fashion but also very unique.

What’s the difference between Comme des Garçons and CDG Play?

The main luxury runway line is Comme des Garçons which is presented twice annually in Paris and is priced based on the real luxury positioning. CDG Play is an easier-to-wear, more affordable streetwear brand, which is well known because of the red heart logo created by Filip Pagowski.

What is the reason why Comme des Garçons is so expensive?

The price is indicative of good quality and design process, which works at another level compared to mass-produced streetwear. You are buying novelty, small-scale production and more than 50 years of design history – not cloth.

Is it their luxury to stay at CDG Play?

At a lower accessible price range, CDG Play is produced with the same brand and design philosophy. It is best perceived as the point of entry of the brand and not the inferior and lesser product.

Where do I purchase original Comme des Garçons in the USA?

Comme des Garçons can also be found at commeedesgarçons.us, the official store in the USA, which provides free and fast delivery and safe checkout.