JUNYA WATANABE

Quick facts

JUNYA WATANABE at a glance

Behind the label

Junya Watanabe

Based

Tokyo, Japan

Since

1992

Focus

Ready-to-wear

Makes

Womenswear and Junya Watanabe MAN menswear, within Comme des Garçons

Trained

Bunka Fashion College

Official site

comme-des-garcons.com ↗

Instagram

@junyawatanabe ↗

The person and the label

Who is behind JUNYA WATANABE?

Born in Fukushima in 1961, Junya Watanabe joined Comme des Garçons in 1984 after Bunka Fashion College and started on its Tricot line in 1987. His own womenswear label, launched within the company in 1992, showed first in Tokyo and a year later in Paris, and Junya Watanabe MAN followed with the Spring/Summer 2001 season. He won the Mainichi Fashion Grand Prix in 1993 and 1999, the Fédération notes. The Kyoto Costume Institute holds an Autumn/Winter 2000 dress with a heat-cut honeycomb ruff, and The Met an Autumn/Winter 2015–16 ensemble in collapsible honeycomb pleats. Both lines showed on every official Paris calendar we checked, FW24 to SS27.

Timeline

JUNYA WATANABE, dated

1. 1992Launches his womenswear label within Comme des Garçons, shown first in Tokyo. Source ↗
2. 1993Shows in Paris for the first time, and wins his first Mainichi Fashion Grand Prix. Source ↗
3. 2015The Met acquires an ensemble from his Autumn/Winter 2015–16 collection. Source ↗
4. 26 June 2026Junya Watanabe MAN shows SS27 on the official Paris menswear calendar. Source ↗
5. 3 October 2026Shows SS27 womenswear on the official Paris calendar. Source ↗

More from Japan

Other Japan labels to know

• COMME des GARÇONS Ready-to-wear · since 1969
• Yohji Yamamoto Ready-to-wear · since 1972
• ISSEY MIYAKE Ready-to-wear · since 1970
• sacai Ready-to-wear · since 1999
• UNDERCOVER Streetwear and contemporary · since 1990
• ANREALAGE Ready-to-wear · since 2003
• Mame Kurogouchi Ready-to-wear · since 2010
• AURALEE Menswear · since 2015
• doublet Streetwear and contemporary · since 2012
• SOSHIOTSUKI Menswear · since 2015
• pillings Textile heritage · since 2020

Read the full Japan guide, with the method behind it and where to see the work in person.

Sources

Sources

1. FHCM — Junya Watanabe house page checked 22 October 2026
2. The Met — Junya Watanabe for Comme des Garçons ensemble, fall/winter 2015–16 (2015.570a–c) checked 22 October 2026
3. Kyoto Costume Institute — Junya Watanabe dress, Autumn/Winter 2000 checked 22 October 2026
4. FHCM — official calendars, FW24 to SS27 checked 22 October 2026

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