Comme des Marxists

Comme des Marxists

Company type	Private
Industry	Fashion
Founded	2013; 11 years ago (2013)
Founder	Rainer Ganahl
Headquarters	New York, New York
Products	Clothing Bags Accessories
Website	commedesmarxists.com

Comme des Marxists, stylized as COMME des MAR*ISTS, is an avant-garde fashion label founded by Austrian-born, New York-based designer Rainer Ganahl. The label's collections feature ready-to-wear garments, accessories, and jewelry, incorporating Marxist themes to critique capitalist structures. Signature pieces include slogan-emblazoned t-shirts, hybrid garments, and politically symbolic accessories, often integrating multilingual elements to reflect Ganahl's view of fashion as a medium for cross-cultural dialogue. Comme des Marxists examines global inequalities by drawing parallels between historical conflicts, such as those of the industrial revolution, and modern tragedies like the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh. Through this lens, the label critiques both fast fashion and luxury goods, highlighting their roles in perpetuating class divisions and exploitative labor practices.

The project blends art and fashion as political commentary, referencing figures such as Karl Marx and Edward Snowden, as well as movements like Occupy Wall Street. Ganahl employs irony and satire, particularly in the label's title, a play on the fashion house Comme des Garçons. This juxtaposition underscores the contradictions of creating fashion items that critique capitalism. Ganahl’s work is noted for its provocative and playful critiques of both the fashion industry and the broader global economic systems it mirrors.^[1]