text: He currently continues to work for Comme des Garcons. His atelier is located on the second floor of the Comme des Garçons headquarters in Aoyama, Tokyo.
  Works
  Watanabe often uses the word monozukuri to describe his work. Like his mentor Rei Kawakubo, Watanabe is renowned for designing innovative and distinctive clothing. He is particularly interested in synthetic and technologically advanced textiles and fabrics as found in his spring/summer 2001 line but also uses more traditional materials such as cotton in his spring/summer 2003 collection. He has also cited Pierre Cardin and Issey Miyake as influences.
  Watanabe is often considered a "techno couture" designer, creating unusually structured clothes out of modern, technical materials. His 2015 show in Paris was criticized for his gauche use of cultural appropriation. His work is considered more practical than his mentor, Rei Kawakubo's.
  He works with a team of 30 people and with an English translator.
  Personal life
  He keeps a very low profile, not appearing for the customary bow at the end of his runway shows, which he presents four times a year in Paris, rarely giving interviews to the press, and is reticent to talk about himself in general.
  In popular culture
  Watanabe is heavily referenced in (and is the namesake for) a song by American rappers Kanye West and Playboi Carti, titled "Junya", from West's 2021 album Donda.