Comme des Garçons Turns 40

Comme des Garçons is turning 40 this year. In honor of the brand's anniversary, the Japanese institution is introducing a temporary brand simply titled "black," which will include 10 standalone stores intended to bring "positive energy" in hard economic times, says the New York Times. In true Comme des Garçons style, the brand will be serving up the collections in question "guerilla-style" in a manner "that epitomizes the style, the inventiveness and the originality of its founder," the iconic Rei Kawakubo (then slowly phasing them out over the next 18 months). While Kawakubo may not be a household name outside of the fashion industry, the reach of her sartorial influence is extremely significant. "Integral to her success is that she is too original to be pigeonholed," says Suzy Menkes. Respected by the art community as well as fashion, Kawakubo "has also built an independent fashion company with a turnover of $180 million in 2008, yet with an international reputation for creativity unsullied by commerce." Not to mention, her Dover Street Market store is best described as a "hive of creativity."

Also on the calendar for Comme des Garçons this month: an exhibition at Colette and a collaboration with Vogue Nippon. Partnerships and collaborations are seemingly endless in the world of Comme des Garçons (Kawakubo has teamed up with everyone from Levis, Lacoste, and Speedo to Italy’s 10 Corso Como boutique), yet the brand’s image has been anything but diluted over the years. Kawakubo’s secret: “her level of control has not ceded one iota in 40 years.” Yet, if forced to choose a title for what she does, Kawakubo would describe herself as a journalist before a designer or artist. “I like to tell a story. Without news, nothing is alive. The final result of everything must say something. Information deepens the work.”