Full Description
"My approach is simple. It is nothing other than what I am thinking at the time I make each piece of clothing...The result is something that other people decide." - Rei Kawakibo, Interview Magazine, 2008
"Kawakubo's will matches that of Coco Chanel and her influence goes perhaps even further; she is a designer who sees a bigger picture and has impacted the very shape of fashion, moving its foundations." - Terry Newman
The Genius of Rei Kawakubo: The woman who founded Comme des Garçons celebrates a designer that is revered as the most avant-garde and experimental in the world. Having created a fashion label that is a global inspiration and one of the few independent brands still run by its founder, Kawakubo infuses her designs with the philosophies of Mu-Ma and Wabi-Sabi to create clothes that are truly special.
Beginning with Kawakubo's early days when she began developing her brand in Japan, The Genius of Rei Kawakubo: The woman who founded Comme des Garçons goes on to look at her principles of anti-fashion and the art of imperfection, including seminal design details from some of her key collections. With chapters on Kawakubo's collaborations with other designers, her shops, perfumes, and lots more, this book presents the brand and its founder in all its glorious detail.
Written by Terry Newman - the bestselling author of Marilyn Monroe Style - we learn just how canny a businesswoman and creative an artist Kawakubo is and how, through various avenues and alliances, she has created a vast Comme des Garçons empire.
Contents
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter 1 - Early Days: Rei Born and Made
Chapter 2 - Development and Expansion
Chapter 3 - Anti-Fashion and the Art of Imperfection
Chapter 4 - Away from the Body and Distortion
Chapter 5 - Signature Shade: Black
Chapter 6 - A Business-Woman Artist
Chapter 7 - Anything But Clothes
Chapter 8 - Communicating Ideas and Expressing Origination
Seminal design detail sections
A Rose is a Rose is a Rose
Look Again Fashion
A Cute Side of Comme
Polka Dots and Gingham
Punk: Anger is Energy
Key collection entries
Autumn/Winter 2013: The Infinity of Tailoring
Autumn/Winter 2005: Broken Brides
Autumn/Winter 2015: Ceremony of Separation
Spring/Summer 2018: Multi-Dimensional Graffiti
Autumn 2023: Return to Source
Spring/Summer 2007: Cubism
Chapter 9 - Menswear: Comme des Garçons Hommes [1,194]
Key menswear collection entries
Spring/Summer 2017: Naked King [226]
Spring/Summer 2015: Army of Peace [320]
Spring/Summer 2023: Another Kind of Punk [406]
Spring/Summer 2025: Hope of Light [284]
Chapter 10 - Junya Watanabe: One of the Family [736]
Chapter 11 - Collaborations: Looking for Common Ground [1,166]
Chapter 12 - Shops: Rei's Spaces [1,153]
Chapter 13 - Parfum: Smells Like Rei's Spirit [1,043]
Chapter 14 - Celebrities: The Stars We Are [680]
Chapter 15 - Rei's Style: She's Got the Look [774]
Afterword
Bibliography
Index
Photo credits
Acknowledgements
