Deconstruction aesthetic

Maison Martin Margiela 20 The Exhibition was a celebration of 20 years of Maison Martin Margiela, curated by the Antwerp Fashion Museum, MoMu. The exhibition itself was first open from December 2008 to August 2009 in Antwerp, where Martin Margiela studied fashion. It would travel to nearby regions like Munich and London afterwards. Visitors of the exhibition were surrounded by Margiela motifs, from Tabi boots to deconstructed garments to white atelier lab coats...

In this rare manifesto designer Rei Kawakubo of Commes des Garcons reveals some of the paths she follows to find absolutely NEW paths, her rigorous challenge to herself.

Deconstruct and construct

A psychological reflection on ethics and aesthetics in fashion.

I hold simplicity as a firm principle in my work. To express an idea in a minimum of terms means a serious commitment to removing all extraneous elements: paring away and discarding all that is not essential in pursuit of clarity. Saying much in just a few words has been a strong expressive tendency in Japanese culture. My aim is to achieve an expressiveness that is profound within the constraints of the clarity and simplicity of the single indigo colour. I believe that it is depth that is…