Rei Kawakubo's Comme des Garçons retrospective at the Met

Rei Kawakubo, the visionary Japanese designer born in Tokyo in 1942, presented only eighteen garments at her Paris Fashion Week show for Fall-Winter 2017-18, titled "The Future of Silhouette." The sculptural pieces, made from cotton, felt, paper, nylon, and synthetic silver, are unwearable but destined for study at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The exhibition "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between" runs from May 4 to September 7, 2017, at the Met. Kawakubo's approach contrasts with the fast-paced luxury conglomerates that prioritize stock prices over craftsmanship. She mentors young designers like Junya Watanabe and Chitose Abe, who now lead their own labels. Her London store sells their work alongside that of Azzedine Alaïa, John Galliano, and Marc Jacobs.