SS21 Comme Des Garcons Shirt x Yue Minjun “Laughing Man” Shorts

Comme des Garçons Shirt has always been Rei Kawakubo’s playground for disruption. Since launching the sub-line in 1988, Kawakubo has taken the humble shirt, something plain and familiar, and pushed it into strange and often surreal territory. Over the years, this offshoot has provided a space for Kawakubo where the rules of classic menswear are bent, warped, and injected with signature CDG tropes.

Beyond reinventing wardrobe staples, collaboration lies at the heart of the sub-line. Each season, new voices are invited in: artists, labels, cultural icons. Whether it is Basquiat’s raw energy or Lacoste’s prep DNA, each partnership leaves its imprint and turns garments into dialogue.

For Spring/Summer 2021, Kawakubo handed the brush to Yue Minjun, whose toothy, grimacing self-portraits became synonymous with China’s Cynical Realism movement in the 1990s. His “Laughing Man” figures serve as a response to the tumultuous political landscape of China in the 1980s and 1990s. Minjun’s unmistakable motif appeared throughout the collection across shirts, sneakers, trousers and more. At first glance, the imagery feels lighthearted, almost comical. But look closer, and the laughter stiffens, revealing a sharp commentary on modern disillusionment and forced optimism.

Beneath the bold prints and chaotic smiles, the collection remained true to CDG’s design language: patchworking, deconstruction, asymmetrical layering, and a deliberate juxtaposition of colors and materials.

This pair of shorts features an all-over Laughing Man print, white contrast stitching, and belt loops at the waist

Tagged Size L

Measurements:

Length 62cm

Waist 42cm

Rise 37cm

Thighs 34cm