We unzip the discreet desirability of the label's red leather compact
CDG Classic Leather Wallet
Red leather, 110mm x 85mm, made in Spain
There are few items as ubiquitous within the fashion industry as the classic Comme des Garçons wallet: an item that is simultaneously practical and perfectly formed, discreet yet distinctive. Where there can be something vulgar about presenting an ostentatiously branded offering at the end of a meal, there is an incomparable grace to pulling an understated compact from your pocket – particularly so when that compact quietly proclaims an affinity to Comme des Garçons.
CDG is a brand whose aloofness only enhances its renown: Rei Kawakubo’s refusal to engage with the media circus commands a particular reverence (in 2009, Susannah Frankel noted that, “When I questioned her on the thinking behind her most recent offering, she sat down, drew a picture of a circle on a piece of paper, and promptly disappeared"). Here, crafted from the blood red that has become a Comme des Garçons signature as emphatic as the Hiroshima black once used to reroute fashion’s trajectory (“red is black” Kawakubo once proclaimed, as in the new black), a simple square of calfskin leather – complete with discreet compartments for cash, coins and cards – becomes a quiet statement of intent. Through its post-dinner presentation, one can choose to align oneself with Kawakubo’s passion and composure alike. That’s no small feat for a wallet.
