Which fashion label did Rei Kawakubo found in 1969?

Rei Kawakubo founded the fashion label Comme des Garçons in Tokyo in 1969. The name is French for “like boys,” although the label became internationally known for clothing that challenged standard ideas of gender and proportion.

Kawakubo initially worked without formal training as a fashion designer. She established the company after studying art and literature and working in advertising. Comme des Garçons presented its first women’s collection in Tokyo in 1969 and later expanded into menswear and multiple sub-labels.

The label became particularly influential after showing in Paris in 1981. Critics often described its black, distressed, asymmetrical, or deliberately unfinished designs as radical because they rejected polished conventional luxury codes.

The company’s name is sometimes confused with Kawakubo’s own name or with her husband Adrian Joffe, who has managed the business side. Kawakubo remains the creative force associated with the label and was honored by the Met Gala’s 2017 exhibition.