For decades, the fashion industry has worshipped traditional standards of beauty—symmetry, slimness, youth, and perfection. It has, for the most part, glorified harmony and elegance, packaging clothing in ways that appeal to the eye and align with popular ideals. But not all designers have followed this script. Rei Kawakubo, founder of Comme des Garçons, turned https://commedesgarconscom.us/ fashion on its head by challenging those very norms. Through her avant-garde creations and uncompromising vision, Kawakubo has questioned what beauty means, who gets to define it, and how it should be expressed in clothing.
The Birth of a Radical Vision
Founded in Tokyo in 1969 and officially launched in Paris in 1981, Comme des Garçons was never interested in adhering to the conventional rules of beauty. Rei Kawakubo had no formal training in fashion design, which allowed her to approach fashion with an outsider’s mindset. Her designs were raw, abstract, and often difficult to categorize. In her first Paris collection, the garments were described as “post-atomic,” “anti-fashion,” and even “ugly” by critics. Models appeared in tattered black fabrics that defied the glamorous and polished aesthetics of Parisian couture. But what critics misunderstood was Kawakubo’s intention: she was not trying to make beautiful clothes. She was exploring form, deconstruction, and the boundaries of the human body in design.
Redefining Beauty Through Imperfection
Kawakubo’s work forced the industry to rethink its obsession with perfection. Her use of asymmetry, unfinished hems, and distorted silhouettes broke the rules of how garments should be constructed. The clothing often appeared lopsided or incomplete, challenging the idea that beauty must be neat, symmetrical, and controlled. In her world, imperfection was a form of rebellion and authenticity. Kawakubo once said, “For something to be beautiful, it doesn’t have to be pretty.”
In 1997, she unveiled the now-iconic “Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body” collection—commonly nicknamed the “lumps and bumps” collection. These designs featured padded humps and bulges sewn into the garments, distorting the wearer’s natural shape. Critics were shocked. Models walked the runway with exaggerated curves in unnatural places, evoking discomfort, confusion, and curiosity. But in doing so, Kawakubo was asking a powerful question: Why is the ideal body shape so rigid? Why must fashion always flatter the figure? The collection refused to sexualize or beautify the body in conventional ways, and instead made the viewer confront their own biases.
Anti-Fashion as Political Expression
Comme des Garçons didn’t just reject beauty—it challenged fashion as a system. By embracing anti-fashion, Kawakubo disrupted the expected lifecycle of trends and seasonal novelty. Many of her pieces were intentionally timeless, non-commercial, and resistant to commodification. Rather than following trends, she created her own world with its own language and logic.
Her design choices often made political and cultural statements. At times, they responded to issues of gender, aging, and societal expectations. Kawakubo rarely explained her collections in detail, preferring to let the work speak for itself. This ambiguity became part of the power of Comme des Garçons—it demanded interpretation, contemplation, and engagement.
Her designs also rejected the male gaze. In contrast to many designers who aimed to make women appear more desirable or traditionally attractive, Kawakubo often concealed the body, using oversized silhouettes and layers. Her clothes didn’t highlight curves or legs or waists—they distorted them, erased them, or exaggerated them in strange and unexpected ways. This move empowered women to dress on their own terms, free from the pressure to conform to an external ideal of beauty.
Casting, Models, and Racial Diversity
Another way Kawakubo challenged fashion norms was through her model casting. Comme des Garçons shows often featured models who did not fit the industry’s typical profile. Whether it was older women, people of color, or individuals with unconventional features, the brand consistently pushed against the narrow definition of what a fashion model should look like.
However, Comme des Garçons has not been without controversy. The brand has faced criticism for its lack of consistent racial diversity, particularly in early shows and campaigns. A notable backlash came in 2020 when white models were styled with cornrow wigs for a menswear show, drawing accusations of cultural appropriation. While Kawakubo’s design philosophy is rooted in challenging beauty norms, these incidents highlight the ongoing complexities and contradictions of operating in a global fashion context.
The Role of Performance and Emotion
Comme des Garçons fashion shows often feel more like art installations or performance pieces than traditional runway events. The brand uses theatrical lighting, abstract music, and dramatic pacing to create an immersive experience that extends beyond the clothing. Kawakubo understands that beauty isn’t just visual—it’s emotional and intellectual. Her collections often provoke discomfort, sorrow, anger, or awe. Viewers are not meant to be simply entertained or pleased—they are meant to be moved.
One of her most memorable collections, Autumn/Winter 2015, titled “Blood and Roses,” featured garments that were floral yet funereal. The models’ heads were hidden beneath massive headdresses, and the garments resembled mourning attire from a surrealist dream. The effect was haunting. The collection explored death, grief, and transformation—topics rarely associated with fashion, yet essential to the human experience.
Comme des Garçons in a Commercial World
Despite its radical aesthetics, Comme des Garçons has remained influential and commercially viable, largely thanks to Kawakubo’s strategic diversification. The PLAY line, known for its heart-with-eyes logo, has become a global streetwear staple, bridging the gap between avant-garde fashion and everyday style. The brand’s collaborations—with Nike, Supreme, and H&M—have introduced its experimental spirit to broader audiences.
However, Comme des Garçons has never diluted its core philosophy. Even with increased popularity, the mainline collections continue to resist commercial High Top Converse constraints. Kawakubo has built a brand that is financially successful without compromising artistic integrity, a rare feat in an industry driven by profit margins and mass appeal.
The Legacy of Rei Kawakubo
Rei Kawakubo’s influence on the fashion world is immeasurable. She has inspired generations of designers to think beyond aesthetics and to question the systems that dictate taste and value. Her impact was recognized in 2017 when the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute held an exhibition dedicated solely to her work—only the second time in history that a living designer had been given such an honor (the first was Yves Saint Laurent in 1983).
The exhibition, titled “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between,” explored dualities central to her work: fashion/not fashion, high/low, design/chaos, beauty/grotesque. It confirmed what many already knew—Kawakubo had reshaped the boundaries not just of clothing, but of culture.
Conclusion: A New Definition of Beauty
Comme des Garçons has never tried to make people look pretty. It has aimed instead to provoke thought, evoke emotion, and redefine the parameters of beauty. Rei Kawakubo’s designs are not merely garments—they are questions, challenges, and provocations. She has forced the industry to recognize that beauty is not singular or fixed, but dynamic, uncomfortable, and deeply personal.
In a world where fashion is often reduced to trends and commerce, Comme des Garçons remains a beacon of radical expression. Kawakubo’s work reminds us that true beauty lies not in perfection, but in the freedom to be strange, complex, and unapologetically oneself.