There are cults and then there are cults. Fans of Rei Kawakubo’s ever-experimental Comme des Garçons fall into the latter category. The main collection items are not only difficult to wear, but also come with a hefty price tag, putting devotees into a small, international bunch of die-hard enthusiasts. Dover Street Market employees, or those at the few Comme des Garçons stores around the globe, know these people by name. Laypeople know them as the stars of each season’s liveliest street style photographs.
In honor of the Costume Institute’s upcoming exhibition “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between,” we asked our favorite Comme des Garçons fans to showcase their collections in their own worlds, from the streets of China, to the kitchens of Paris, to walk-ups in New York’s West Village. Below, meet eight speakers of the universal language of Comme.
Taylor Tomasi Hill, vice president of creative/women’s fashion director, Forty-Five Ten “I’m consistently drawn to Rei’s creations because she offers a wide range of thought-provoking conversation pieces as well as uniform dressing for my everyday life.”
Michelle Elie, designer
“Comme des Garçons has always been an inspirational and driving force for me. Rei Kawakubo makes clothes that nobody has ever seen. She pushes the boundaries, challenges us to rethink how women could dress, rather than what women should dress like, while expressing herself freely. I fell in love with this sort of in-between trenchcoat and dress piece when I first saw it on the runway! A piece that I will always love and want to wear no matter what season. It will always be timeless like every other piece from Comme des Garçons. I was right—every time I wear this piece, it becomes more and more breathtaking!”
