I hope to work at Simone Rocha and Comme des Garcons in the future. Most of the clothes I wear in my daily life come from these two brands. In this shop report research, I have a more detailed understanding of these two brands.
What attracts me most about Simone Rocha is that you can see women of all ages and sizes walking in beautiful dresses. Beauty is no longer limited by age or size, and every woman can display her unique beauty. Simone Rocha’s works always have a soft and elegant female beauty with full charm, but never emphasize the female body shape. She also brings us a kind of adolescent romanticism, hovering between strength and weakness, courage and romance, Blind and Sensibility. Simone Rocha designs clothes with fluffy hemlines and wide cuffs, and you can see a lot of pearls, lace, mesh and embroidery in her works. Currently Simone Rocha sells clothes, bags, shoes, socks and accessories. Accessories range from around £100 to £200, shirts from around £300, skirts from around £700 and coats and dresses from £1,000 to £2,000. Although Simone Rocha’s products are expensive, there are frequent discounts, usually 50% off. There are many ways to buy Simone Rocha, not only in stores and on her website, but also at retailers that have partnerships with Simone Rocha, such as Lafayette and Dover Street Market. Another brand I love, SHUSHU/TONG, has two designers who interned in Simone Rocha’s studio and left to start their own brand, which is very popular in China today. Their work is influenced by the style of Simone Rocha and incorporates their own ideas. I think if I can work here, I can also learn a lot of useful design experience.
Comme des Garcons clothes are characterized by their creative silhouettes. Unlike European clothes, they do not make clothes based on the human body, but hide the human body in the clothes. And is known for its circular cut and asymmetry. It has nine branches: Comme des Garcons Comme des Garcons (The main branch line, Japanese style, simplifies the CDG elements, more practical everyday), Black Comme des Garcons (The CDG set up the branch in 2009 in response to the negative effects of Japan’s recession. Mainly in black, cost-effective), Comme des Garcons girl (It’s really cute for girls), tricot Comme des Garcons (In 1981, CDG held its first fashion show in Paris and introduced sophisticated but accessible labels such as the line and Robe de Chambre), robe de chambre (Has been discontinued), Junya Watanabe, Noir Kei Ninomiya,Tao Comme des Garcons (Has been discontinued), play Comme des Garcons (Suitable for everyday wear and affordable). While Comme des Garcons’ mainline clothes range from £200 to £2,000, its Play Comment des Garcons collection is more comfortable, with short sleeves or shirts with logos, and is less expensive, usually under £100. Comme des Garcons shows are very conceptual and not suitable for everyday wear. Clothes for sale are often designed with elements extracted from the show. Most outfits come in sets, such as a shirt or suit with a skirt or wide-legged pants.
The mean way Comme des Garcons is sold is through Dover Street Market. This is where Comme des Garcons branches and other designer products come together. Rei Kawakubo said, “I hope to create a fair where many artists from all fields create in a charming and chaotic atmosphere: souls with strong personalities and belonging to the same race come from all directions and gather together”. Dover Street Market currently has five stores around the world, in New York, London, Japan, Singapore and Beijing. Each season’s Comme des Garcons shows are presented at Dover Street Market , and the store is constantly updated with product layouts and art installations. I visited Dover Street’s Store in Beijing and learned something about it. Dover Street Market has an entire building in Beijing’s Taikoo Li district, with its recognizable exterior covered in iconic black and white dots. There are a lot of designer brands here. Luxury brands, such as Prada and Gucci, also sell here. Each brand has its own booth, and the decor is integrated into the Dover Street Market as a whole. The store’s salespeople dress fashionfully, with Yohji Yanamoto and Comme des Garcons being two of their most popular brands. Some of them attend prestigious fashion schools such as UAL and Parsons and work part-time during their vacations.