CDG Play is one of the newest lines in the Comme Des Garçons fashion house. Most of the designs lean heavily into New York streetwear with tight fitting shirts and cashmere crewnecks that are all stitched with that now iconic “heart with eyes” logo. The logo has become something of a meme in the fashion community because of it’s simplicity and how the presence of the logo will turn a simple $30 blank into a $150 t-shirt sold at Saks. In the landscape of high end fashion CDG Play is one of the more youthful lines and although it’s rarely taken seriously by those invested in fashion it is also the most recognizable line in CDG. This has been largely attributed to the infamous “shoes with the hearts on them” of course being the Converse x CDG collab.
So where did this heart eyed logo come from, and why did one of the biggest fashion houses dilute its brand by creating an entire line dedicated to this little logo?
The logo comes from Polish artist Filip Pagowski. He was commissioned by Red Kawakubo to create a logo for an upcoming clothing line that was tailored for a more youthful approach to fashion. This was a really out of the blue decision that left many at CDG confused. Up until that point CDG was associated with Japanese grunge wear, the gothic “crow” movements of the late 80’s and it had built a loyal fanbase surrounding that type of aesthetic. To suddenly do 180 and start making overpriced t shirts with a small patch on them seemed to be detrimental to the integrity of the brand.
So why go through all this effort if it risks damaging the reputation of your brand? CDG along with other gothic brands of the 80’s and 90’s were generally well received by the youth of the west up until the late 1990’s after several tragedies gave way to criticism and speculation surrounding the goth, “trench coat mafia” movement. As this movement lost steam and the skater scene rose to popularity, it gave designers like Rei Kawakubo reason to create a playful and friendly line of clothing. This was the inspiration behind the CDG heart, a very wholesome shape with eyes in order to appeal to the youthful skater aesthetic. It also serves as a warm entry point into the world of Japanese fashion, as younger generations got into fashion they were introduced to CDG through CDG Play. For me personally, I got into CDG through Play and I haven’t looked back since.
