“I never intended to start a revolution, I only intended to show what I thought was strong and beautiful. It just so happened that my notion was different from everybody else’s.”
The successful Rei Kawakubo is the creative director and owner of Comme Des Garcons, a business she has nurtured into over $220 million a year. Rei was never trained as a fashion designer but she studied art and literature at Keio University in Japan. Many refer to her style as “anti-fashion” and “Hiroshima Chic.”
After taking a job at a textiles factory, Rei became a freelance stylist and entered the fashion industry. Two years later, she began making clothes under the name Comme Des Garcons and was debuted in 1981 in Paris. She instantly became famous and acquired an incredible number of fans and followers.
She was responsible for the career launched of Junya Watanabe and Tao Kurihara.
“I am not conscious of any intellectual approach as such. My approach is simple. It is nothing other than what I am thinking at the time I make each piece of clothing, whether I think it is strong and beautiful. The result is something that other people decide.”
Comme des Garcons specializes in anti-fashion, abstract, and deconstructed garments. Many of her pieces were in black, dark grey or white color. The materials often drape around the body and include frayed, unfinished edges with holes and asymmetrical shape.