Created and directed by Rei Kawakubo, Comme des Garçons is a Japanese fashion brand. Deconstruction, excess, and grunge often come to mind when thinking of this unique brand. The brand was started in 1973 and has only grown from there. It has ties in both the high fashion world with its innovative and avante garde designs and in the streetwear with collections such as Comme des Garçons “PLAY”.

Over the years, the brand has grown in popularity with notable collaborations with other well-known brands such as Nike and Chrome Hearts. Many celebrities have also been spotted in the brand during music videos, red carpets, and in performances. The brand gained real press when Anna Wintour announced that Comme des Garçons would be the main exhibit for the 2017 Metropolitan Museum of Art‘s annual gala, also known as the MET Gala.

Many consider Comme des Garçons to be one of the most eccentric and distinctive high-end fashion brands. And in my opinion, it is. The brand’s influence and impact are vast and everlasting. Kawakubo has often ignored current trends when designing her collections. Each collection is like an out-of-body experience. Every single show is like living, walking art that is meant to captivate the viewer. The garments sent out onto the runway give off the impression that they are worn in a far off fantasy world where nothing is as it seems. Her main collection is considered haute-couture because of its impracticality in everyday wear. For example, in the 1982 show titled “Holes,” Kawakubo used clothing ravaged by months instead of a more traditional fabric such as lace. Kawakubo’s love of the avant-garde and the unwearable is what makes Comme des Garçons so special. She has never given in to conventional fashion standards and has always relied on her creativity. It shows in her collections and that has made her stand apart from her contemporaries. Rei Kawakubo is a sight to behold.