The old guard of fashion despised her; the critics never understood her. But for Rei Kawakubo, founder of the renowned fashion label Comme Des Garcons, that was always the point. For the more polarising a collection was, the more success it accrued. Kawakubo eschewed conventional standards of beauty, ushering in a new era of anti-fashion; a deconstructed wonderland of noir, capable of creating strong, provocative pieces for women with a defiant desire to dress in a way that reflected their own unique sensibilities.
Having started CDG at age 27, Kawakubo now 80 shows no sign of slowing down. The designer is still staging at every Paris fashion week presenting her unique brand of high-concept that translates into an estimated $280 million a year commercially. It is a singular dedication to “the work” as she calls it that propels her in the present, with little thought given to her posterity.