Rei Kawakubo: The Rebel of Fashion

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Rei Kawakubo is the founder and creative director of Comme des Garçons, a Japanese fashion label that defies conventions and challenges expectations. Her designs are often described as avant-garde, deconstructed, and anti-fashion, as they explore themes such as beauty, identity, and gender. She is widely regarded as one of the most influential and original fashion designers of the past four decades.

A Self-Taught Visionary

Rei Kawakubo was born in 1942 in Tokyo, Japan. She studied art and literature at Keio University, but had no formal training in fashion design. She started her career as a freelance stylist in 1967, and two years later, she began making clothes under the label Comme des Garçons, which means "like boys" in French.

She established her company in 1973, and opened her first boutique in Tokyo in 1975. She soon gained a loyal following among Japanese consumers who appreciated her unconventional and minimalist aesthetic. She used simple fabrics such as cotton, wool, and nylon, and favored dark colors such as black, gray, and navy. She also experimented with asymmetrical shapes, oversized silhouettes, and raw edges.

A Parisian Sensation

Rei Kawakubo made her debut in Paris in 1981, where she shocked and intrigued the fashion world with her radical collection. Her clothes were unlike anything seen before: they were torn, frayed, patched, and draped, creating distorted and sculptural forms. Some critics called her clothes "post-atomic" or "Hiroshima chic", while others praised her for her originality and creativity.

She continued to present her collections in Paris every season, attracting a cult following among fashion insiders and celebrities. She also launched several sub-labels under the Comme des Garçons umbrella, such as Comme des Garçons Homme Plus, Comme des Garçons Shirt, Comme des Garçons Noir, and Comme des Garçons Play. She also collaborated with various artists, musicians, and designers, such as Jean-Paul Gaultier, Yohji Yamamoto, Merce Cunningham, Björk, and Pharrell Williams.

A Cultural Icon

Rei Kawakubo's influence on fashion is undeniable and lasting. She has inspired generations of designers who admire her courage and innovation, such as Martin Margiela, Ann Demeulemeester, Helmut Lang, and Miuccia Prada. She has also left a mark on culture, art, and society, as her style has been adopted and adapted by various subcultures and movements.

She is also the co-founder of Dover Street Market, a multi-brand retail concept that showcases emerging and established designers from around the world. She has also received numerous awards and honors for her contributions to fashion and culture, such as the Isamu Noguchi Award in 2019, the Kyoto Prize in 2019, and the Costume Institute exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2017.

Rei Kawakubo once said: "I work with emotion and intuition." She has not only created clothes that express her vision of fashion, but also clothes that challenge us to rethink our notions of beauty, identity, and gender.