COMME des GARÇONS' Nike Sneakers Have Never Been So Classic (or Branded)
BLACK COMME des GARÇONS is perhaps CDG's most uncomplicated sub-label and, thus, its Nike sneaker collaborations are similarly no-nonsense. So, although a new COMME des GARÇONS Nike Air Force 1 has the potential to be truly outré, the BLACK CDG Nike AF1 is pretty direct.
That's not a diss, mind you.
As part of BLACK COMME des GARÇONS' Spring/Summer 2025 collection, the Japanese imprint has cooked up a pretty straightforward Nike sneaker collab.
The new BLACK CDG Air Force 1 is exactly what you'd think — Black! Duh! — but also at least a little surprising.
For the first time in a while, BLACK CDG goes in on branding with its seasonal Nike sneaker.
Note the all-caps CDG branding on the inside of the sneakers' heels and the stylized "BLACK" text on the outside. The latter is a little artsy for CDG Black whereas the former is surprisingly overt.
Typically, BLACK CDG's Nike shoes are exactly what they say on the tin: A classic Nike sneaker silhouette done up in tonal black without any logos save for a Swoosh.
That's admittedly not always the case — BLACK CDG's recent Nike Field General shoes are the primary exception — but for a long while it was gospel.
It was even true for BLACK CDG's non-Nike collabs, like its one-shade HOKA dad shoes, and the rare non-black sneakers. Its Nike Tennis Classic, for instance, came in all-white and wore no external branding. Further, BLACK CDG typically took on undersung Nike silhouettes like the Footscape. The Air Force 1 feels almost too populist.
But you can't predict the whims of BLACK CDG.
BLACK CDG's Nike relationship is about as rich as the mainline CDG collections' ample Swoosh love.
The BLACK CDG line debuted in 2009 in response to the global financial recession. Its aim was to produce signature COMME des GARÇONS clothes — patched-up collared shirts, polyester blazers, drop-crotch trousers — in a single shade for a comparatively approachable price.
It even had a couple dedicated stores but it's now mostly sold through Dover Street Market and COMME des GARÇONS flagships.
Currently, though, BLACK CDG's prices approach that of other large CDG diffusion lines, including CDG HOMME and CDG SHIRT — the latter initially created as an offering exclusively dedicated to shirts — though its Nike collaborations rarely get wild.
Every season, though, new BLACK CDG x Nike T-shirts — the SS25 versions are big and extremely Swoosh-heavy — and new Nike sneakers.
They seem to do good business, though: A size of the BLACK CDG x Nike Air Force 1 is already sold out on Dover Street Market's web store, where they retail for £155 (about $200).
