Comme des Garçons: a manifesto for peace
It was a cry of freedom and refusal of war that Rei Kawakubo presented with the Comme des Garçons Homme Plus Fall-Winter 2025-2026 show. In the heart of Paris, on Rue Auber, the Japanese designer delivered a pacifist, poetic vision, where every detail of the 35 silhouettes recounted a rebirth after chaos.
A liberating aesthetic
The mannequins, traversing a light-bathed set, embodied figures who had left the battlefield in search of serenity. Faded khaki jackets, sometimes with detached shoulder tabs, evoked a military past. But that war was over, replaced by an atmosphere of renewal. Flowers growing from the helmets, echoing Marc Ribaud‘s famous cliché, symbolized hope and life triumphing over ruins.
Combat boots, with square toes as if they’d braked suddenly, and civilian uniforms with unstructured cuts reflected a rejection of martial authority. Faithful to her subversive tailoring, Rei Kawakubo multiplied the unusual details: excess buttons, open coats or coats with side zippers, illustrating a refusal of established conventions.
A committed soundtrack
In the uncluttered hangar where the fashion show took place, the voice of Nina Simone, with Four Women, accompanied every passage. Her powerful lyrics resonated like a collective memory of suffering and resilience. The models’ tangled hairstyles, a metaphor for past wanderings, reinforced the sense of history inscribed in the clothes.
The end of a martial era
The military tones of the beginning gave way to an explosion of color, evoking a transition to joy and freedom. A true ode to peace, the show transformed the stigma of war into a symbol of hope. At 82, Rei Kawakubo continues to push the boundaries of fashion with indomitable creativity.
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