Rei Kawakubo has been perpetually pushing the fashion world forward through Comme Des Garcons since her designs first hit the market in 1969, and her SS1997 show ‘Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body’ was no exception. Featuring bumpy, asymmetrical lumps without rhyme or rhythm, the season was just as perplexing during that time as it is now. However, the manner in which this season was advertised may shed some light on Kawakubo’s intent and inspiration.

Featured in CDG SIX 1/4 in collaboration with Visionaire No. 20, the advertising images were featured next to photos of seafood and various crustaceans of similar colors. In the amorphous designs of that season, Kawakubo may have been referencing humanity's genetic origins, or perhaps even the way forms mutate and shift over millennia as evolution takes its course.

Beyond merely being an art magazine that has featured numerous artists, both in the fashion industry and other areas, CDG SIX acts as marketing for the label as well. This particular issue was entitled ‘SIX 1/4’, with the name being owed to the fact that it was a quarter the size of the SIX magazine. By weaving art and advertising together, Kawakubo and the CDG team had found a way to appeal to their target audience, who clearly would not simply accept the status quo advertising found for typical department store clothing brands.

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Writer: Isaac L. Davis