BLACK COMME des GARÇONS, the quiet CdG sub-label focused on wearable basics, has a not-so-subtle secret: it’s best friends with Nike. Of all the brands operating underneath the COMME des GARÇONS umbrella, BLACK CdG has perhaps the closest (and maybe least marketable relationship with The Swoosh). Whenever BLACK CdG drops a collaborative Nike sneaker, for instance, it usually remixes an ultra-simple silhouette by painting it, well, black and adding some “CdG” branding.

Launched in 2009 — with the idea born in 2008 out of the global financial depression — as part of Universal Utility founder Carin Mansfield’s partnership with COMME des GARÇONS founder Rei Kawakubo, BLACK COMME des GARÇONS was evolved out of the Edited Black Project, an experiment in monochrome utilitarianism

Witness the retro-looking text prints that grace BLACK CdG’s surprise Summer 2022 Nike collab, mixing typically emotive CdG motifs about “Love” and “Heart” with tonal Nike Swooshes across shirts and even some tote bags. The collection will be available on August 26 at COMME des GARÇONS stores, likely exclusive to Japan.