Westwood | Kawakubo

Look 28, from the Comme des Garçons 2 Dimensions collection, autumn–winter 2012. Photo: © Comme des Garçons

The ideas of rebellion and rebelliousness soon attached themselves to both Rei Kawakubo (b. 1942), the founder of fashion house Commes des Garçons, and Vivienne Westwood (1941–2022). Yet for all the buzz around their image, both designers perfected their craft through the 1980s and ’90s, rewriting fashion codes and reinventing dress, particularly for women. Their attitudes to form and shape were heavily influenced by fashion history – silhouettes from the court of Louis XIV were a frequent reference point for Westwood, while Kawakubo employs the traditional concept of wabi-sabi, which is about embracing imperfection and accident. This exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria, which brings together more than 140 designs, demonstrates how these designers forged their own visions of what it means to dress the body and nurture the punk spirit (7 Dec–19 Apr 2026).

Find out more from the National Gallery of Victoria’s website.
Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary

Naomi Campbell falling over on the runway in 1993, wearing an outfit from Vivienne Westwood’s Anglomania collection, Autumn/Winter 1993–94. Photo: © Sheridan Morley via Shutterstock
Look 2, from the Comme des Garçons Smaller is Stronger collection, Autumn/Winter 2025. Photo: © Comme des Garçons
Kate Moss wearing Look 49 from the Vivienne Westwood Anglomania collection, Autumn/Winter 1993–94. Photo: © firstVIEW
Look 28, from the Comme des Garçons 2 Dimensions collection, Autumn/Winter 2012. Photo: © Comme des Garçons