Comme des Garçons has never been about blending in. Since Rei Kawakubo founded the label in 1969, it has challenged every commes des garcons conventional fashion standard—from beauty ideals and garment structure to the very definition of what fashion can be. With each collection, the brand steps further away from the mainstream and deeper into the conceptual, the cerebral, and the confrontational. The newest collection is no exception. Bold and unapologetically deconstructed, it continues Kawakubo’s legacy of unmaking fashion to make a statement.
An Unfolding Vision of Radical Expression
The latest Comme des Garçons collection is less about clothes and more about an evolving philosophy. Pieces appear to be pulled apart at the seams and then reassembled in a manner that borders on sculptural art. Fabric spills over shoulders, sleeves are asymmetrical or missing, and traditional silhouettes are distorted beyond recognition. Rather than adhere to current fashion trends, the collection pushes against them, asking the wearer and the observer to see beauty in chaos, imperfection, and abstraction.
This season’s vision seems to pivot around the notion of radical self-expression. The garments look like they’re in a state of transformation—caught mid-thought, mid-gesture, mid-rebellion. They reject finality. Whether it’s an oversized jacket shredded to show multiple inner layers or a dress built entirely out of patchworked remnants, there’s a sense that these are clothes in motion. They’re not just designed to be worn—they’re designed to be experienced.
Deconstruction as Language
Deconstruction in fashion is often misunderstood as destruction or messiness, but in Kawakubo’s hands, it’s a powerful language. She doesn’t just break garments down; she reinterprets them. Linings are made outer layers. Structural boning is visible. Sleeves are transformed into hemlines. There is an intentional refusal to create something "pretty" or "flattering" in the traditional sense. Instead, the beauty emerges from how the garments challenge the eye and provoke thought.
In the newest collection, this language reaches a new level of fluency. A tailored suit might begin with classic elements—lapels, cuffs, sharp lines—but by the time it reaches the runway, it has evolved into something utterly unfamiliar. It may include mismatched fabrics, misaligned fasteners, or unexpected protrusions that turn the body into a canvas of contradiction. The message is not just about fashion, but about rejecting expectations in every form.
The Power of Black, Red, and Negative Space
Color plays a critical role in emphasizing the deconstructed narrative. Comme des Garçons’ signature black remains dominant, but this season introduces vibrant intrusions of red, stark whites, and industrial greys. These colors don’t soften the aesthetic; they heighten its intensity. A red slash across a black garment may appear violent or passionate, depending on the viewer’s lens. Negative space, too, is used with precision—cutouts and voids appear not just as design elements, but as philosophical ones. What is missing from the garment becomes just as important as what is present.
The collection dares to ask: what is essential in fashion? Is it the fabric? The cut? The history? Or is it the message? By leaving parts of garments seemingly incomplete, Kawakubo invites us to fill in the blanks—not just with our imagination, but with our own beliefs about clothing and identity.
Performance, Not Just Presentation
Comme des Garçons shows have always CDG Long Sleeve leaned toward performance art, and the presentation of this collection continued that tradition. Models moved in slow, deliberate rhythms, emphasizing the weight and volume of their garments. There was no background noise, no music to distract from the silhouettes and textures. Each outfit had its own gravity, pulling attention inward. Viewers were not there to admire; they were there to be confronted.
This theatricality isn’t about spectacle for spectacle’s sake. It underscores the central idea that fashion, when stripped of its commercial obligations, becomes something far more personal and profound. These are not clothes to sell or even to wear in the traditional sense. They are provocations. Questions. Arguments wrapped in cloth.
Comme des Garçons: A Future Defined by Defiance
In a world increasingly obsessed with convenience, trends, and social media validation, Comme des Garçons remains defiantly apart. The newest collection does not cater, does not explain, and certainly does not apologize. It exists entirely on its own terms—a mirror held up to the fashion industry and to ourselves.
As always, Kawakubo refuses to settle for design as decoration. Instead, she continues to wield fashion as a weapon, a poem, and a puzzle. This collection is not an answer but an open-ended question, inviting us to reimagine not just what we wear, but why we wear it.