See inside this book by clicking here. Use your browser's back button to return to this page and continue shopping. Rei Kawakubo established Comme des Garcons in 1972 in Tokyo. Ever since she began showing her collections in Paris in 1982, Kawakubo has been recognized as the leader of fashion's avant-garde. In two decades, Kawakubo, as sole owner, expanded the Comme des Garcons operation to involve two subsidiary companies in Paris and New York, more than 300 stores in Japan and 3 directly owned flagship stores in Paris and New York. In 1987, the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York featured an exhibition Three Women: Madeleine Vionnet, Clare McCardell, and Rei Kawakubo, highlighting the innovative and radical aspects of each designer's work. Having long believed in the importance of the interrelationship of clothing and the environment, Kawakubo continues to design all the Comme des Garcons boutiques. As fabric innovation has always been crucial to Comme des Garcons, Kawakubo has developed completely new fabrics for each collection. Kawakubo was an early explorer of the crossover between art and fashion. She has collaborated with artists such as Cindy Sherman, Daniel Buren, and Fischli & Weiss on installations in several of her stores. From 1981 to 1997, Kawakubo produced catalogs for her various brands, where photographers Peter Lindbergh, Steven Meisel, and Paolo Roversi were asked to push the boundaries of fashion photography. Kawakubo was invited by Merce Cunningham to design the costumes and sets for his "Scenario" in 1997. Kawakubo was awarded a Chevalier de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in Paris in 1993 and an honorary doctorate degree from the Royal College of Art in London in 1997. Contents: Introduction Peter G. Rowe Citation Jorge Silvetti Out of the Extraordinary Brooke Hodge The Exhibition The Award Acknowledgments |
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