Comme des Garçons
Paris Debut — Hiroshima Chic
Rei Kawakubo
Why it matters
Kawakubo's Paris debut in 1981 — presented alongside Yohji Yamamoto — sent shockwaves through a fashion establishment still drunk on opulence. Black, asymmetrical, draped, and deliberately unfinished garments earned the dismissive label 'Hiroshima Chic' from the Western press, a term that inadvertently became a badge of honour. The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds pieces from this period; the 2017 Met retrospective 'Art of the In-Between' confirmed Kawakubo's status as the most radical thinker in the history of dress.
Defining looks
- 01Black asymmetrical draped coats with unfinished seams
- 02Oversized black garments with raw edges
- 03Lace collection pieces with intentional unraveling
- 04Deconstructed silhouettes in monochrome black
Provenance & holdings
The Met holds Paris-debut-era Kawakubo — a FW1982–83 ensemble, accession 2014.260a,b — and the Kyoto Costume Institute holds her AW1983 work. The era the press dismissed as 'Hiroshima Chic' is now permanent museum canon.