Junya Watanabe

Junya Watanabe is a name that carries weight in the world of avant-garde fashion—a force who redefines how we look at clothing through cutting-edge technique and boundary-pushing innovation. Born in Fukushima in 1961, Watanabe is a Bunka Fashion College alum, joining Comme des Garçons shortly after graduation. He began as a pattern cutter, and in those early years, his talent for manipulating fabrics in unexpected ways caught the eye of Rei Kawakubo. By 1987, he was already leading the Tricot knitwear line, and his ascent didn’t stop there.

Watanabe launched his eponymous label in 1992 under the Comme des Garçons umbrella, introducing his singular vision of fashion that marries technology and craftsmanship, synthetic materials and classic silhouettes. His debut collection in Paris in 1993 established his signature—technical fabrics, ingenious cuts, and the kind of tailoring that makes the wearer look twice. Menswear came into the mix in 2001, expanding the scope of his design language to new forms and perspectives.

Throughout his career, Watanabe has been a quiet revolutionary—constantly experimenting, yet never one to court the spotlight. Collaborations have always been deliberate; from Converse in 2007 to more recent partnerships with brands like Carhartt and New Balance, his approach is about evolution, not just novelty. His work remains rooted in the balance of functional and fantastical, where garments are not just worn, but experienced.

Today, Junya Watanabe stands as a key figure of conceptual fashion, a designer who’s constantly looking forward while maintaining an allegiance to the craft of making clothes. His collections are still shown in Paris, under the Comme des Garçons family, pushing the dialogue between form, function, and fabrication with every season.