Founded in the early 1970s in Tokyo by Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo, Comme des Garçons continues to be a major force within the fashion industry. Over the years, the boundary-pushing fashion house (also commonly known as CdG) has opened stores worldwide and produced a flurry of memorable shoe collaborations with brands like Nike, Converse and New Balance.
Comme des Garçons first teamed up with Nike in 2000 through Kawakubo’s protégé Junya Watanabe (his eponymous label operates as an extension of CdG ). Together, they released a version of Nike’s quirky, lesser-known Air Kukini. The unconventional slip-on shoe featuring futuristic elastic webbing was redone in monotone gray and black.
Next up, Watanabe put his spin on the classic ’70s Waffle Racer silhouette, initially drawing inspiration from the timeless all-white T-shirt. He would later reimagine the runner in more vibrant colorways.
The avant-garde fashion house’s streetwear label released its first Converse collection in 2009. The collaboration featured low and high Chuck Taylor All-Stars in both black and off-white colorways with the signature CdG red heart with eyes motif emblazoned on the lateral side of each shoe.
In 2012, Comme des Garçons SHIRT linked with Supreme to create pinstripe variations of Vans’ beloved Sk8-Hi and Authentic silhouettes.
Just two years later, the dynamic trio joined forces again to pay homage to the late New York skateboarder Harold Hunter, displaying a famous photograph of Hunter in action on both the medial and lateral sides of the Vans Sk8-Hi.
Flash forward to 2015, Comme des Garçons PLAY took the Chuck 70 and added a bigger, bolder heart that disappeared into the midsole.
Also in 2015, the Comme des Garçons Shirt brand linked with Supreme to put their touch on the iconic Timberland 6-inch work boot. Coming in wheat and black colorways, the reworking combined a waterproof nubuck leather upper embossed with a subtle polka-dot print and Supreme and Comme des Garçons co-branding on the padded collar.
The Comme version of the Nike Air Force 1 Low in collaboration with Supreme took the iconic white sneaker and added a distinctive eyeball graphic to the ankle area.
Introduced at the Comme des Garçons fall ’17 show during Paris Fashion Week, the CdG Flyknit saw the crisp white toe box of Nike’s sporty Flyknit Racer adorned with a black bow tie.
Also of note that year was the release of the clear Nike Dunk High that Comme Des Garçons reimagined. The daring shoe constructed with translucent TPU underlays was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s famous folktale “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” in which the main character is duped into purchasing invisible clothing.
Another eye-catching shoe to hit the catwalk for 2017 was the Nike Air Moc. The eccentrics hybrid sneaker bootie boasted a snowy white leather upper with drawstring pulls in the back and chunky textured soles.
One of the most highly-anticipated releases at the time, the brand’s reworking of the Nike Air VaporMax dropped on the first day of New York Fashion Week 2017. Offered in black and white colorways, the laceless model features a Flyknit upper with a Comme Des Garçons logo panel above the Swoosh and ultra-chunky air bubble outsoles.
Arriving in 2018, came a rare colorful tie-up with the Swoosh. Before Barbiecore was all the rage, Comme dressed the Air Max 180 in vibrant shades of neon pink. The collab was comprised of three editions.
This 2018 collaboration between Comme Des Garćons Homme Plus and Nike’s All Conditions Gear reinterprated the Air Mowabb. The ’90s trail-inspired model came in tonal black and white colorways with mixed material construction.
One of the most brand-heavy releases came in 2019 when Comme Des Garćons adorned Nike’s Shox silhouette in lace logo chains that wrapped around the upper and sole.
When the New Balance 550 suddenly blew up in 2022, Comme Des Garcons Homme came out with its own rendition of the popular shoe. Naturally, the silhouette dropped in black and white colorways with minimal branding on the heel counter.
In 2022, Converse and Comme linked up again on a One Star release. This collaboration saw the heart motif stamped next to the signature star and turned on its side. Unsurprisingly, black and off-white colorways were released.
Comme Des Garćons served up striking black and gray renditions of the beloved Air Max 97 featuring distressed leather in 2022.
In 2023, we got another minimalist New Balance collaboration from Comme Des Garćons Homme in the form of the 1906R.
Comme des Garçons teased its latest Nike sneaker at its fall/winter 2024 menswear show in Paris last month. Taking the Air Max TL 2.5, CdG stripped away the big Swoosh seen on the sportswear giant’s shoe and added a puffy tongue, plus a matte air sole unit for a more streamlined look. The style will be released later this year.
