The Art of the In-Between
Rei Kawakubo founded Comme des Garcons in Tokyo in 1969, creating a fashion philosophy that questioned every convention about beauty, form, and what clothing could be. Her 1981 Paris debut, featuring deconstructed, asymmetric garments in dark colors, shocked the fashion establishment and fundamentally expanded the vocabulary of fashion design.
Conceptual Fashion
Kawakubo’s work occupies the space between fashion and art, consistently challenging definitions of beauty and the purpose of clothing. Her 2017 Met Gala exhibition, ‘Art of the In-Between,’ made her only the second living designer (after Yves Saint Laurent) to be honored with a solo show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Business Innovation
Beyond design, Kawakubo revolutionized retail through Dover Street Market, the multi-brand concept store that created a new template for luxury retail. The Comme des Garcons empire also encompasses over a dozen sub-labels including Comme des Garcons Play, Shirt, and Homme Plus.
