Darkroom by Comme des Garçons Homme Plus

Creation can arise in a dark place where not only the visual but all the six senses come into play. It is in this world sunk in darkness that we must search and find something new. Just as photographs reveal their images in the darkroom, so can creation, development and progress, we believe, also come out of darkness.

The Comme de Garçons Homme Plus Fall-Winter 2021 collection includes new collaboration with Nike: Foamposite Sneaker (Black and White). While there have been many collaborations over the years, this is the first time an original mold has been created. The ripple-like three-dimensional pattern that covers the shoes is a new design by CDG Homme Plus.

Another collaboration was made with American Artist sculptor, printer, conceptual and visual artist Willie Cole. His work uses contexts of postmodern eclecticism, and  combines references and appropriation  from African and African-American imagery. He also has  used Dada’s found objects and Surrealism’s transformed  objects, as well as icons of American pop culture or African  and Asian masks.

About this creative collaboration rei Kawakubo states: “I came across the sculptures of the New Jersey based artist Willie Cole which included these powerful masks made up from black high heeled shoes. I am constantly looking for strong images and I suddenly had the idea to ask Willie if he would consider to make headpieces instead of face masks using black high heeled shoes. Even though he had never made any headpieces, he readily rose to the challenge and we worked together to create these headpieces that you see in the presentation. I also worked with photos on fabric of the original masks in the collection itself.”