Comme des Garçons Play has relocated its well-loved smiley-logo away from the place in front of the beating heart to the spot above palpable pulse

To say that the Comme des Garçons Play line’s heart-shaped logo is not one of the most popular to appear on the left side of any garment’s chest is not quite getting to the heart of the matter. Originally a graphic by the Polish artist Filip Pagowski, the mouthless smiley has become more than a CDG Play logo that transcends the effectiveness of those in textual form. So recognisable is the the 11-year-old symbol—cute is what fans consider it—that CDG even had it become emojis in 2016, complete with a fancy in-store launch. As the sub-brand’s face, the logo has largely remained on the left chest of tees, shirts, hoodies, and cardigans (although in the first in 2002, season, they were placed in other unexpected areas). For the latest release of the brand’s wool cardigans—both round- and V-necks, the beloved logo is moved to the bottom of the left sleeve, just above the cuff.

For those a tad tire of wearing the logo on the traditional spot, the new placement might be appealing. Some shoppers would be disappointed as its appearance on the end of a long sleeve may not be obvious enough. This isn’t the first time that the Play logo is shifted. Despite the original trademark’s popularity, CDG felt it needed to refresh the heart-shaped smiley. Last year, they engaged the French street artist Invader (real name unknown) to give Mr Pagowski’s work a makeover and the result is a pixelated version that has been used, in terms of its placement, rather freely. The Invader version—together with the artist’s own alien-like creature, has appeared above the hem of shirts, atop the sleeve hem of short-sleeved tees, on the upper bicep of long-sleeved tops, and, for certain, above the cuff of the right sleeve of cardigans. The Filip Pagowski original is finally joining the fun.

Comme des Garçons Play wool cardigans, from SGD460, are available at Comme des Garçons, Comme des Garçons POCKET, and DSMS. Photo: Comme des Garçons Play