Comme des Garcons store

It's probably not the first location a high-profile designer would choose to open a boutique in, but Comme des Garçons continues to push boundaries by opening its latest guerilla store in Krakow, Poland.

Since 2004, Comme des Garçons has put its stamp of cool on cities around the globe with this renegade retail strategy. Over twenty temporary guerrilla stores have popped up unexpectedly in off-the-radar neighbourhoods in Barcelona, Singapore, Helsinki, Ljubljana, Copenhagen, Athens and Reykjavik, only to close not more than a year later.

Their latest offering, known as +4812 Cracow, is located east of the historic centre of the city and cleverly tucked away in a grubby, bricked building that used to house a local shoe cream factory.

Inside, the sprawling concrete space is sparsely decorated, with second hand furniture from the socialist era and leftover pieces from the building’s factory days arranged in two graphic formations. Against the austerity of the wooden cupboards, seatless chair frames and severely cut tables, the brightly coloured Comme des Garçons merchandise simply pops up.

From fragrance to shoes, t-shirts to couture, the guerrilla collection knows no limits, filled with goods that span the seasons and the entire Comme des Garçons oeuvre. A must for die-hard Rei Kawakubo fans, or for those who might just be in the area.

27 April 2007 | Fashion