COMME des GARÇONS and A Bathing Ape (BAPE) are the most famous clothing brands in Japan. Their only real rivals might be Japanese sportswear giants like ASICS and Mizuno, but those are brands better known for sneakers and gloves than clothes. So, why do the ongoing CDG x BAPE collaborations slip under the wider radar?

Both imprints conquered the world from different perspectives: BAPE is one of Japan’s first international streetwear labels so famous that it's been referenced in songs from Pharrell and Biggie and Soulja Boy. Meanwhile, COMME des GARÇONS’ rebellious fashions disrupted the staid runways of 1980s Paris and has since grown into an industry-conquering multi-brand fashion empire. Each is a Japanese fashion powerhouse (although BAPE is technically majority-owned by a Hong Kong conglomerate.

These two have infrequently mixed it up since 2012, but the last half-decade has produced a consistent string of BAPE x COMME des GARÇONS collections sparked by BAPE opening an outpost in COMME des GARÇONS’ Osaka flagship store in 2020. 

Their collaborations have since scaled to include store exclusives like a CDG-logo-clad BAPE Camo full-zip hoodie and COMME des GARÇONS' signature striped shirt with BAPE’s Ape mascot on the chest. It’s all very logo-heavy — few of their respective team-ups are not — but it succeeds by remixing each label’s tentpole items through the other’s lens to create genuinely fresh product. 

The latest CDG x BAPE coming together releases on April 29 and includes a pair of loose dark-wash jorts (in time for the summer of long shorts), with both brands’ logo on the crotch referencing classic BAPE jeans. Graphic tees, a BAPE specialty, wear a neat effect that makes the logos look to be deteriorating with wear, almost like they came from BAPE’s Y2K heyday.

As usual, the collab feels very BAPE and not especially COMME des GARÇONS, in that these are conventional street-friendly clothes rather than avant-tailoring. But that's not a bad thing — as with most things Y2K, BAPE is particularly in-demand right now — nor should it be such a surprise, as the collab is led by the store-exclusive CDG Good Design Shop imprint, which specializes in pretty classic fare.

No, the real reason this semi-historic partnership is so understated is likely the simple fact that it's only sold at a single store in Japan. Simple as that.

If ever it was to expand, you'd have to imagine that there'd be more people making a big deal about one of the world's first cross-cultural streetwear labels and foremost boundary-pushers teaming up. Or so you'd think.

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