The Cult of Comme: Rei Kawakubo’s Anti-Fashion Revolution
Unapologetic Japanese Designers — Part I. Learn how Rei Kawakubo, founder of Comme des Garçons redefined fashion with her radical vision, anti-fashion collections, and cultural influence. Explore her legacy, philosophy, and major exhibitions.
Rei Kawakubo is nearly impossible to ignore even though she rarely explains what she’s doing. She started Comme des Garçons in Tokyo in 1969, and when she showed in Paris for the first time in 1981, her all-black, distressed clothes shocked everyone. They called it “Hiroshima chic.”
Born in Tokyo in 1942, Rei studied fine arts and literature at Keio University. She never went to fashion school. Her fashion career began in styling and small creative work but she always saw clothes as something more than just wearable items.
Why Her Style Was a Rebellion
Her early collections weren’t about pretty dresses. Rei’s clothes had odd padding, strange proportions, and sleeves that were too long or too tight.
She gave her collections names like Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body but didn’t always explain them. The titles serve almost like clues.
She created what many call “anti-fashion”: clothes that unsettle, provoke, and challenge the body.
Her Impact on Other Designers
Rei’s influence is huge. She mentored designers like Junya Watanabe and Tao Kurihara through her Comme des Garçons house. Designers like Martin Margiela, Rick Owens, and Ann Demeulemeester often mention her as a source of inspiration. Even Alexander McQueen once walked in her show.
The Enigma of Rei
She doesn’t speak English, and she keeps her interviews short or rare.
She lives a private life. Her longtime translator is also her spouse, but they live separately.
Her fans often dressed head-to-toe in black call themselves the Crows.
Beyond Clothes: Her Other Worlds
Rei has designed furniture: heavy, sculptural pieces made from steel, granite, and chain links.
She doesn’t do delicate perfumes. Her signature fragrance (Odeur 53) smells of rubber, concrete, and nail polish.
She even designed costumes for the opera Orlando, by composer Olga Neuwirth, based on Virginia Woolf’s novel.
Museums & Exhibits
Her work has been shown in major museums most notably, the Met Museum in New York. In 2017, they held a solo exhibition: Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between. Her designs were grouped by themes like Fashion vs Anti-Fashion and Self vs Other.
A touring version of her exhibition is coming to NGV Melbourne soon.
Why Rei Kawakubo Matters
Rei’s work isn’t about trends or pleasing people. It’s about thinking deeply. Her collections ask:
What is beauty, really?
Why do we wear the clothes we wear?
What does the body mean when it’s reshaped, hidden, or exaggerated?
In refusing to follow fashion’s rules, she created a whole new way to think about clothes. Her legacy is not just in garments it’s in questions.
Image Tommy Ton via GQ