Comme des Garçons, a label responsible for pushing the term "guerilla" within the context of fashion, has come up with a rapid reaction to the recession. With a "positive strategy" in mind, Rei Kawakubo has devised an emergency fix via a new line BLACK Comme des Garçons. Concentrating on popular Comme des Garçons styles in black only, the objective is to sell large volumes in small temporary spaces between 25-40 square metres. Why the stock has to be sold from this specified restricted space might be puzzling to some but we can only interpret this as Kawakubo's reaction to the luxury retail expansions of recent years that have left us with a glut of luxury goods languishing on shelves. There will be eleven points of sale in the world, with the one in London at Dover Street Market opening this Thursday. The spaces will remain for about eighteen months with "speed merchandising" in place to change stock every two/three months. The mad rush will be on as per norm for die hard CdG fans, but with an eighteen month period, it leaves a window of opportunity for us all to buy blacked out classic Comme silhouettes. even if we will be staring at a cupboard full of baked beans for months after.

BLACK Comme des Garçons launching at Dover Street Market June 18.
Opening also at...
Tokyo, Isetan Dept Store
Tokyo Ginza Mitsukoshi
Nagoya, Mitsukoshi
Fukuoka, Iwataya
Tokyo, Shibuya Parco
Osaka, NU Chayamachi
Hong Kong, I.T. Causeway Bay and Kowloon
New York, 10th avenue (17th Street)
Paris, 7 rue du Perche 75003
Seoul, Boon the Shop
Special shop corners from June 22 for two weeks only at...
New York, Barneys
Paris, colette