Rei Kawakubo's Comme des Garçons Collection for H&M Launches

by Terri Potratz | November 10, 2008 at 05:08 pm

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This weekend saw the Comme des Garçons for H&M collection released in Tokyo at the new Harajuku H&M store, where piles of die-hard fashionistas camped in brittle weather for days leading up to the CdG launch.

The Kawakubo repertoire is highly influential in the fashion world. When she first showed her Comme des Garçons (French for "like boys") collection in Paris in the early 1980s, with its predominant use of the colour black, asymmetrical hems and tears and frays, it caused a sensation. No longer considered avant garde, these trends have invaded the mainstream and are widely accepted.

Comme fans will be happy to hear that the H&M collection features several of her signatures, such as unusual cuts, deconstruction and elaborate tailoring.

Thousands piled into the new Harajuku district H&M store on Saturday, but the rest of the world will have to wait until Thursday, November 13 to get their hands on some Comme des Garçons pieces. But beware, H&M is on to you eBay sellers and greedy designer fashion lovers and they're imposing a 2-item limit per style:

H&M is taking action to make sure Comme fans can get the pieces they want instead of half the line going to rabid eBay sellers. Customers will be able to purchase only two items of the same style, according to a press release. So you can buy every item in the collection, but only two of each piece.

That is such a good rule, I'm glad H&M stepped in here. Tales of previous H&M designer collaboration launches have sounded absolutely horrid, with hundreds of people cramming in the stores, snatching up literally everything they can get their hands on without even trying things on, and purchasing mounds upon mounds of clothing.

The CdG line will only be available in 200 select stores around the world - most of which are only getting a partial delivery of the 30-piece collection.

In the US, the CdG line can be found at the following H&M locations:

New York:
435 7th Avenue at 34th Street
1328 Broadway at 34th Street (Herald Square)
640 5th Avenue at 51st Street
731 Lexington Avenue at 59th Street

Los Angeles:
5200 Beverly Center

West Hollywood:
8580 Sunset Blvd.

San Francisco:
150 Powell Street

Chicago:
840 North Michigan Avenue

And in the following 3 Canadian stores:

Vancouver:
Pacific Centre

Montreal:
1100 St. Catherine St

Toronto:
13-15 Bloor St.

For a store locator, head to the H&M website and track by country.