Global Fashion Transformation by Comme des Garçons in 2026
Rei Kawakubo and the Birth of a Vision
Rei Kawakubo founded Comme des Garcons in Tokyo with no formal training in fashion design. Her background in fine arts and literature helped her view clothing as a form of communication rather than decoration. The name “Comme des Garçons,” meaning “like boys” in French, reflects the brand’s central idea: challenging traditional gender expectations and redefining elegance through androgyny.
During the late 1970s, the brand became a force in Japan’s avant-garde scene. Kawakubo’s early collections were known for their use of black, asymmetry, and deconstructed tailoring. These were not clothes meant to flatter the body in the traditional sense—they were designed to provoke thought and emotion.
