COMME des GARÇONS SHIRT: the Line's History, SHIRT FOREVER and Size Guide

COMME des GARÇONS SHIRT is Comme des Garçons' shirt line, launched in 1988 by Rei Kawakubo. Designed in Japan and made in France by the house's French arm, it starts from a simple garment, the shirt, and reworks it every season. Since 2008, the SHIRT FOREVER line has gathered its permanent styles. This guide covers the line's history, what sets a SHIRT shirt apart, the FOREVER fits and how they size up, as well as the collaboration with ASICS. The full selection is in the COMME des GARÇONS SHIRT collection.

1988: a line devoted to the shirt

Comme des Garçons opened its Paris branch in 1982. Six years later, Rei Kawakubo launched SHIRT, a line devoted exclusively to shirts, with a clear idea: a brand designed and made in France. The styles are designed by Rei Kawakubo in Japan, production is entrusted to an atelier in the Paris area and the fabrics come from specialist mills in Italy and France.

Why the shirt? Rei Kawakubo describes it as a universal garment that crosses ages and genders, and saw SHIRT as a complementary line suited to working life. In 1998, the line grew into a full collection with jackets, knitwear, trousers and accessories. The shirt remains its foundation: reworked every season, it is shown in Paris alongside tailoring, knitwear and T-shirts.

What sets a COMME des GARÇONS SHIRT shirt apart

Construction comes first: no overlocking, but flat-felled seams that enclose the raw edges. Collars are small and structured, designed to be worn without a tie. The base fabrics are mostly two-ply European cottons. From the late 1990s, the line also introduced the patchworks and mixed stripes that became its signature, with a label in blue lettering on a white background.

Each season then plays with these foundations. The autumn-winter 2026 collection mixes panels, stripes and graphic patchworks, and also features a wool flannel cut as a shirt, trousers and shorts.

SHIRT FOREVER: the permanent styles

Launched in 2008, SHIRT FOREVER does not follow the seasons: it offers the line's essential shirts, in plain poplin and stripes, in core colours such as white, black, blue and grey. It is built on six variations of one silhouette. The two main ones:

• Narrow Classic: the base cut, close and clean, with pleats at the back and a lightly shaped waist.
• Wide Classic: longer and roomier, with broader shoulders, a centre back box pleat and no waist shaping.

The other variations are the Very Narrow, closer to the body, the Small Button Down, with a shorter body, and short-sleeved versions.

COMME des GARÇONS SHIRT at AURA

From FOREVER, AURA stocks the FZ-B221 shirt in blue and white stripes, in cotton made in France, the FZ-B302 shirt in black wool, the winter version of the FOREVER shirt with no back pleat, made in France, and the FZ-N108 crew neck jumper in lambswool, in black or grey.

From the season, the autumn-winter 2026 wool flannel (90% wool, 10% polyamide), made in Japan, comes as the FR-B501 shirt in navy, grey or beige, the FR-P505 trousers in navy or grey and the FR-P506 pleated shorts. You will also find the Intarsia Knit and Rolled Hem jumpers, made in France, and the Tapered Leg trousers.

ASICS x COMME des GARÇONS SHIRT

The SHIRT line regularly reworks ASICS running models: a camouflage GEL-Lyte III shown at the autumn-winter 2020 show, the EX89 in 2023, and a tartan GEL-Lyte III in spring 2025. For spring-summer 2026, the collaboration took on the GEL-SD Lyte, an ASICS model first released around 2010: a white mesh base with one bold colour on the overlays and sole, shown at the SHIRT show in Paris in June 2025. AURA stocks it in blue and white and red and white, in the ASICS x CDG SHIRT selection.

How does COMME des GARÇONS SHIRT fit?

Shirts come in letter sizes: S to XL for the seasonal collections, XS to XL for FOREVER. The fit matters more than the label: in the same size, a Wide Classic and a Narrow Classic have very different volumes. Dover Street Market, Comme des Garçons' own store network, publishes the measurements of the FOREVER fits:

Garment measurements published by Dover Street Market for CDG SHIRT FOREVER (Narrow Classic and Wide Classic). In the same size, the Wide has 9 cm more at the chest and 1.5 cm more length than the Narrow. On its FOREVER product pages, Dover Street Market shows a model of around 185 cm wearing a size L.

In practice: take your usual size in the Narrow Classic for a clean shirt to tuck in. In the Wide Classic, your usual size already gives a roomy shirt to wear open or untucked; go down one size if you want less volume. There is no official guide for the seasonal shirts: compare the measurements on our product pages with a shirt you already wear.

Where are COMME des GARÇONS SHIRT clothes made?

Most SHIRT and SHIRT FOREVER shirts are made in France, as are the Intarsia and Rolled Hem jumpers in our selection. That is not true of the whole line: the autumn-winter 2026 wool flannel and the trousers are made in Japan, the FOREVER lambswool knitwear in China and the ASICS in Vietnam. The origin of each piece is shown on its product page.

For another take on the classic shirt, see Kamakura Shirts: Vintage Ivy vs Ametora. For knitwear and partly Japanese production, see our Another Aspect guide.

COMME des GARÇONS SHIRT: the details

Line: COMME des GARÇONS SHIRT, launched in 1988 by Rei Kawakubo; full collection since 1998; SHIRT FOREVER since 2008.

Signatures: flat-felled seams, small structured collars, mixed stripes and patchworks.

FOREVER fits: Narrow Classic (close), Wide Classic (roomy, no waist shaping), Very Narrow, Small Button Down.

Sizes: S to XL for the season, XS to XL for FOREVER.

Made in: most shirts in France; AW26 wool flannel and trousers in Japan; FOREVER knitwear in China.

Discover COMME des GARÇONS SHIRT at AURA

AURA stocks COMME des GARÇONS SHIRT in its Rennes store, at 2 rue Châteaurenault, and online with delivery across France and Europe.

Shop the full COMME des GARÇONS SHIRT selection →

COMME des GARÇONS SHIRT: frequently asked questions

What is COMME des GARÇONS SHIRT?

It is Comme des Garçons' shirt line, launched in 1988 by Rei Kawakubo. Designed in Japan and largely made in France, it grew into a full collection in 1998.

What is the difference between CDG SHIRT and CDG SHIRT FOREVER?

SHIRT presents a new collection every season. FOREVER, launched in 2008, gathers the line's permanent styles, in plain poplin and stripes, on a few fixed fits such as the Narrow Classic and the Wide Classic.

How do COMME des GARÇONS SHIRT shirts fit?

It depends on the fit. In FOREVER, a size M Narrow Classic measures 120 cm at the chest and a size M Wide Classic 129 cm, according to Dover Street Market. Take your usual size in the Narrow, and your usual size or one down in the Wide.

Are COMME des GARÇONS SHIRT shirts made in France?

Most are, including the FOREVER shirts in our selection. Some seasonal pieces are made in Japan, such as the autumn-winter 2026 wool flannel. The origin is shown on each product page.

Where can I buy COMME des GARÇONS SHIRT in France?

At AURA in Rennes, in store at 2 rue Châteaurenault and online at aura-estore.com, with delivery across France and Europe.