Born October 11th 1942 in Japan, the fashion designer and founder of Comme des Garçons studied fine arts and literature at Keio University in Tokyo. Her studies led to her working at a textile company and in 1967 she became a fashion stylist. Never having trained as a designer, she started making women’s clothes under the label Comme des Garçons in 1969, creating her own company in 1973. Five years later she added a men’s line. Since 1981 she has been presenting her collections in Paris, where, a year later she opened up a boutique. Black, gray and white colors, together with asymmetrical cuts and rough edges or holes characterize her work that is more conceptual art than fashion. Her style has been baptized Hiroshima Chic and has influenced many designers such as Martin Margiela, Ann Demeulemeester and Helmut Lang. She has supported her former apprentice, Junya Watanabe, who began his own line in the 1990’s.

Rei is involved in all aspects of her brand and has also published a biannual magazine, named Six. “What you wear can largely govern your feelings and your emotions, and how you look influences the way people regard you”, she has said in one of her rare interviews.

Text by Eleni Papaioannou