COMME des GARÇONS and Nike's longstanding relationship constantly keeps us on our toes, ranging from the over-the-top takes on classics or stripped-down tributes that keep the essence of the original silhouettes. Keeping in line with the latter, CdG BLACK's take on tennis GOAT John McEnroe's preferred Nike sneaker is its simplest yet.
The Nike Tennis Classic is a great blank canvas, and CdG BLACK wanted to leave it untouched, apparently.
Available now via Dover Street Market for $160, CdG BLACK's latest Nike sports all-leather uppers, cobranding on the insoles, and an indented Nike logo on the tongue. The midsole has been textured for a vintage, lived-in look and it's available in monochromatic white or black.
COMME des GARÇONS' BLACK diffusion label launched in the wake of the 2008 recession as a way for the high fashion Japanese brand to be accessible to a wider audience.
Since then, the sub-label has frequently joined the CdG x Nike fashion universe, taking the sneaker giant's popular and retired silhouettes into new territories, plus some occasional clothes.
CdG BLACK's humble origins and monochromatic name usually make for all-black takes on mainline CdG's iconic styles, although it could've afforded to add a more striking signifier to the Nike Tennis Classic with a contrasting logo, maybe, or a change to the shoe's construction.
CdG's Nike collabs have actually been mostly understated recently. The Kawakubo-founded brand recently revived the Terminator silhouette and kept it simple with oversized branding on the heel. It also brought back the Nike Air Pegasus 2005, stripping it of its texture and colors in favor of a more monochrome palette.
If you're looking for another extreme moment like a platform Nike Cortez or a Premier sneaker heel, it might be a ways away. But for the real CdG heads, the Nike Tennis Classic checks off every box.
