Established in 1981, Tricot Comme des Garçons (French for “knitwear”) is designed by Tao Kurihara, a former mentee of Junya Wantanabe. The women’s diffusion line’s strength lies in its eccentric basics, each designed with an artful twist. Harkening back to Japanese fashion’s influential Lolita subculture, Kurihara’s designs are visibly inspired by international kitsch – matryoshka dolls, vintage Swiss handkerchiefs, old-fashioned schoolgirl uniforms – rendered with a dose of dark humor fit for contemporary dressing.