Introduction Here’s what you need to know about the strategic ambassadors of Comme des Garçons Comme des Garçons is run with great care and precision by Rei Kawakubo, whose name is synonymous with the label, and her small group of executives, who look after the brand’s steely vision. Unlike traditional fashion houses with sprawling corporate hierarchies, the company has a tight-knit leadership team that ensures that every collection, collaboration, and retail foray is true to Kawakubo’s radical philosophy. That includes Adrian Joffe, Kawakubo’s husband and the C.E.O. of Comme des Garçons International, who runs the business side and global expansion of the Dover Street Market. This governance model that uses selective leaders has enabled the brand to maintain its fierce independence, whilst also influencing the wider fashion world. Rei Kawakubo: The Creative Director Who Defines the Brand’s DNA As founder and creative director, Rei Kawakubo is still the force behind this innovative house. Despite her legendary status, she shuns the spotlight, seldom giving interviews or public appearances. Instead Comme des Garçons Officials, she speaks through her collections, which are alternatives to fashion traditions. Kawakubo runs a tight ship — everything that’s designed, every material that’s used, and every retail concept is approved by her. Nothing the brand designs or offers ever strays from its avant-garde origins. And her influence reaches much further than design; she has nurtured a cadre of designers and collaborators with her disruptive mindset, like Junya Watanabe and Kei Ninomiya, who both struck out on their own, creating critically acclaimed labels attached to the Comme des Garçons canopy. Adrian Joffe: The Business Brain Behind the Empire Adrian Joffe, the chief executive of Comme des Garçons International and the president of Dover Street Market, is integral to transforming Kawakubo’s artistic vision into a sustainable, global business. Joffe, who has been with the company since the 1990s, has also been behind major strategic expansions, including the introduction of diffusion lines for Comme des Garçons (such as PLAY and Comme des Garçons SHIRT) and the evolution of Dover Street Market into a retail cult destination. His business sense has helped the brand remain solvent while avoiding the trappings of mass commercialization — a rarity in contemporary luxe fashion. Train the Comme des Garçons Design Team: The Guardians of the Avant-Garde And while Kawakubo is still the chief vision, the label’s design team helps translate her ideas into finished garments. Unlike conventional fashion houses, with their seasonal design committees, Comme des Garçons works with a tight-knit group of designers who work closely with Kawakubo. This lean structure allows each collection to maintain its conceptual purity. His former protégés Junya Watanabe (now a label of his own under CdG) and Kei Ninomiya (who specializes in no-stitch construction in his brand NOIR Kei Ninomiya) have taken up the torch from Kawakubo, each with their own innovations. The Retail Visionaries Who Changed the Narrative on Fashion Commerce Much of Comme des Garçons’ influence comes from its retail operations, most notably the Dover Street Market (DSM) platform opened in 2004 by Kawakubo and Joffe. Opening in 2004, DSM redefined luxury retail with its constantly rotating, gallery-like environment of high fashion, streetwear, and art. All of the DSM sites (London, Tokyo, New York, Beijing, Los Angeles, and Singapore) are curated as radically as the Comme des Garçons clothing, with exclusive collaborations and experimental pop-ups. The DSM team, headed by Joffe, has autonomy, just like the fashion label, curating brands and designers that suit Kawakubo’s disruptive aesthetic. Collaborations & Partnerships: Major Players Behind the Hype Comme des Garçons’ collaborations — regardless if they yield something tangible or not, be it Nike, Supreme, or Louis Vuitton — are orchestrated with a clear hand by its leadership team. Unlike brands that pursue trends, CdG chooses partners who share its subcultural identity. The PLAY x Converse Chucks and the COMME des GARÇONS HOMME PLUS x Supreme collections, for example, were strategic to gain ground in streetwear while keeping an edge of artistic credibility. These collaborations are overseen by a specialty team that makes sure every partnership is in keeping with the brand’s DNA, but in front of different audiences The Future of Comme des Garçons: Leadership in an Evolving Industry In an age when the fashion industry struggles with the ever-growing intertwining of commerce and creativity, and an increasing focus on fast fashion, executives at Comme des Garçons are adamant in their dedication to independence and innovation. Now in her 80s, Kawakubo has never publicly appointed a successor, leaving the brand’s fate open to speculation. But under Adrian Joffe’s leadership and with the ongoing success of Dover Street Market, the company is in a good position to continue its legacy. The emergence of younger labels under the Comme des Garçons umbrella (such as GANRYU and BLACK Comme des Garçons) indicates the avant-garde ethos of the brand will be preserved, as will its steely officials who created it, uncompromising as ever. In Closing: The Hidden Influences Behind Fashion’s Most Radical Brand Desde que Rei Kawakubo ab badala, a Comme des Garçons é bem mais do que uma maré de paixão, ela é a maré que faz andar: sendo a primeira a dormir e a última a acordar, a Comme des Garçons só é possível porque inteiramente gerida por seus funcionários que luta pela proteção de sua visão. The strategic expansions of Adrian Joffe or the retail innovations of the DSM team, every decision is made with a commitment to artistic integrity above commercial compromise. 69,909; the revenue figure is in Japanese yen.)As the fashion industry evolves, it will continue to put these fingerprints on the boundaries of fashion, securing the fact that true innovation can come from greater integrity, despite an unconventional path.