Collecting Comme – Treasures from Stuart Walford’s Collection

“I fell in love with Japanese fashion in 2010 when one of my art teachers at school was telling me how their friend uses a Comme des Garçons pouch to store their weed in. I thought it was a funny story and had trouble pronouncing the name so I did some research into the label and was addicted ever since!

Besides black, pink and blue are my second favorite colours, so anytime there is pink Comme, I get highly obsessive. I recently did a clothes swap with my friends, we traded some pieces we weren't wearing so much so in exchange for a few pieces, they gave me these pink baggy shorts which have become a staple for me. This is a cut of shorts that Comme produces every season in various textiles – I live in them. The pink blazer was a back street find on my recent trip to Japan. I found it in the most random store one afternoon, secondhand of course, and it was a total bargain!

This suit from 1999/2000 is one of my most treasured sets. I purchased the pants from Shag on Chapel Street here in Melbourne in 2011-ish and had to give them a decent repair to make them wearable. I’d been hunting for the matching blazer ever since and had my eye on one on Grailed but the price was so high that I never committed. Then one day I stumbled into SWOP and there it was, sitting in the front window waiting for me! Meant to be!

Junya Watanabe makes the best jeans ever, in collaboration with Levi’s. I buy them every time I see them second hand because they last forever. I just keep patching them up.

I love how expressive the Japanese clothes are, how they make you feel when you wear them, how thoughtful the designs are, and of course I love the process of finding the pieces.

These Comme spats from SS2014 were so much fun to wear. I don’t often wear them anymore but I love collecting them, especially the ones that have hand painted scribbles all over them, so cute. There are some really sculptural ones from the same collection which I’d love to acquire.

Comme AW2011 was a great season of ruched silk scarves turned into dresses and lopsided blazers with exposed lining sleeves. I remember buying some pieces in Tokyo that year but I have since sold them (much regret!). However, the simple sleeves that can be worn over jackets are still a favorite piece made from vintage scarves. They inject a bit of fun into simple shirts and white blazers, and I love the mixed colour and print in the textile. I got this one from Bruce and the white suit was a recent find in Hong Kong.

I wear shirts from the Comme des Garçons shirt line almost like a uniform. They are always so interesting and intricate, sometimes so simple yet complex at the same time – much like a lot of Comme pieces. These patchwork shirts with screen printed dogs and faces underneath are a favourite so I collect them anytime I see one. The pom pom one is probably my fav of the bunch so far.

This lilac suit with duct tape style ruching is another fav set in my wardrobe. It's running a little small for me now so I think I have to retire it but it’s such a cool piece. The vest is built into the jacket!

Besides Bruce I mentioned earlier, my favourite places to shop vintage here in Melbourne are dot.comme, Reina, and Salon Archive.

My holy grail item: I am still looking for the glitter basketball shorts from Homme Plus SS18, any colour! A lot of other pieces come to mind, too, but they're at the top of the list.”

Stuart Walford
@stuart_walford