Our Readers Name Their Favourite Comme des Garçons Colabs
Fashion godmother and founder Rei Kawakubo racked up her 76th year last week. Her storied career has been most influential in haute couture, but she’s also left a lasting imprint on the sneaker industry.
Comme des Garçons colabs have been both omnipresent (like the ) and revelatory (like their ). Choosing a favourite out of the scores of icons is a toughie, so we decided to make you guys do it instead. We hit Instagram to ask our readers what their favourite CDG collaborations were — here’s what they thought.
NIKE DUNK HIGH 'CLEAR'
A surprise drop in February 2018, these ‘Clear’ CDG x Nike Dunk Highs are a reference to Hans Christian Andersen’s fable, The Emperor’s New Clothes, in which a vain ruler roams into the streets butt-naked after being tricked by two weavers. Kawakubo said her commentary was driven by modern tendencies to over-share, but that didn’t stop these popping off all over Instagram.
SUPREME NIKE AIR FORCE 1
Comme des Garçons have linked up with Supreme for a couple of Air Force 1s. The first was under their SHIRT imprint and dropped in May 2017, while the other dropped in September 2018. Let’s hope next year sees them round out a trilogy.
NIKE BLAZER LOW PREMIUM
Just when you’re fed up with the lack of diversity in sneaker tastes, someone comes through and names these Blazer Lows as their favourite CDG colab. It’s an interesting choice (and one we don't understand) but if you’re looking for a very, very low-key flex, you could do worse.
NIKE AIR MAX 180
Of all the colabs named in responses, the Air Max 180 was best represented — and with good reason. The trio gave us arguably the best 180s since the model was revived, and possibly one of the best colabs of 2018. They’re still thriving on the resale market months after their February drop, but you can find them .
THE SHOE SURGEON 'CLEAR' AIR JORDAN 1
This person must have meant the ‘Clear’ Dunks, right? Maybe, but there are also Clear Jays floating around. These Shoe Surgeon customs aren’t a legit CDG colab, but if they were to ever hit retail (at less than the thousands they cost to make) they’d spark anarchy.
NIKE SHOX
The most recent to enter the colab canon, these Nike Shox exude Rei Kawakubo’s signature quirks. Choosing to bring the Shox into fashion's spheres is forward thinking enough, but to drop them in monochrome with gold CDG chains? This colab is so weird it can’t not be endearing.