Junya Watanabe is a Japanese fashion designer who studied under the tutelage of Comme des Garçons designer Rei Kawakubo. Graduating from Tokyo's Bunka Fashion College in 1984, he began his career as a patternmaker at CDG. He was soon promoted to head designer of the knitwear range, then of CDG Homme. He launched his own range under the name Junya Watanabe Comme des Garçons in 1993 and began appearing in Paris fashion shows. Like his mentor, Junya Watanabe is recognized for his remarkable innovative avant-gardism, brilliant technical style in experimenting with cutting-edge fabrics, original tailoring and intricate draping.
