Punk is the freedom of the spirit. It is an unstoppable energy that takes up the body, the mind and the heart, and overcomes rational restrictions to express boundless creativity. 

In this strict sense, Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons has a true “punk” attitude. For over 30 years her confrontational work has subverted traditional style tropes, challenging season after season the banal course of international fashion industry. Titled ‘Broken Tailoring’, the Comme des Garçons Homme Plus Spring / Summer 2016 collection stood true to Kawakubo‘s revolutionary approach, and offered another exquisite example of her outstanding sartorial skills. After having introduced the concept of deconstruction in high fashion decades ago, Rei Kawakubo literally took down the art of tailoring to rebuild it in the Comme des Garçons way through her latest menswear collection. Aristocratic British gentlemen revealed their youthful rebellious souls by wearing polished horse and hound printed suits artfully deconstructed and paired with tartan shirts worn underneath. Dandy coats were styled with pants slashed from the knee down, and rows of metallic snap buttons replaced badges and medals as decorative details.

Effortlessly elegant, Comme des Garçons lords in polka dots brogues had extravagantly sculpted fluorescent yellow wigs almost as high as the ceiling, which suggested a punk take on Rococo hairstyle. By keeping on pushing the boundaries of commercial clothing, Rei Kawakubo shaped an anti-fashion elite that rejects any form of style conformism in favor of garments that embody individuality.