Simple Clad.: February 2013

Rei Kawakubo is a Japanese fashion designer, founder of Comme des Garçons.

She is untrained as a fashion designer, but studied fine arts and literature at Keio University. After graduation, Kawakubo worked in a textile company and began working as a freelance stylist in 1967.

In 1973, she established her own company, Comme des Garçons Co. Ltd in Tokyo and opened up her first boutique in Tokyo in 1975. Starting out with women's clothes, Kawakubo added a men's line in 1978. Three years later, she started presenting her fashion lines in Paris each season, opening up a boutique in Paris in 1982.

Comme des Garçons specialises in anti-fashion, austere, sometimes deconstructed garments. During the 1980s, her garments were primarily in black, dark grey or white. The materials were often draped around the body and featured frayed, unfinished edges along with holes and a general asymmetrical shape. Challenging the established notions of beauty she created an uproar at her debut Paris fashion show where journalists labeled her clothes 'Hiroshima chic' amongst other things. Since the late 1980s her colour palette has grown somewhat.

1980's.

Rei likes to have input in all the various aspects of her business, rather than just focussing on clothes and accessories. She is greatly involved in graphic design, advertising and shop interiors believing that all these things are a part of one vision and are inextricably linked. Her Aoyama, Tokyo store is known for its sloping glass facade decorated with blue dots. This was designed in collaboration between Rei and architect Future Systems and interior designer Takao Kawasaki.

Comme de Garcons Boutique's.

Rei is known to be quite reclusive and media shy, preferring her innovative creations to speak for themselves. Her designs have inspired many other late designers like the Belgian Martin Margielaand Ann Demeulemeester, as well as Austrian designer Helmut Lang

Kawakubo created the 2008 autumn "guest designer" collection at H&M, designing men's and women's clothing along with some children's and a unisex perfume.

H&M Collection.

Fall 2012 Ready To Wear.

Although Comme des Garcon is not my typical taste, as it is quite bold, eccentric and childlike (as this collection does remind me of some kind of cartoon). I do appreciate the way Comme des Garcons creates its own version of 'beauty' and plays around with the human form, translating it into uncommon shapes with bright, brash colours and unusual materials.

Roksanda Ilinicic is a Serbian fashion designer based in London.

Firstly Ilinicic studied architecture and design at the Faculty of Applied Arts, Belgrade University, before coming to study at Central Saint Martins in London in 1999, where she graduated with an MA in Womenswear.

Though initially dismissed as 'occasionwear' - frivolous and insubstantial - she has earned commercial respect as well as critical acclaim. Roksanda Ilinicic has gone from strength to strength since her first showing at London Fashion Week in 2003. As she produced diffusion lines for high street stores including; Whistles, Debenhams and Matches, leading to her clothes being sold in 40 countries worldwide. Leading to a rise in sales by 140% since 2010!

2012 turned out to be a very busy year for Roksanda as she launched her new childrenswear line, 'Blossom', inspired in part by her daughter, Efimia. Also in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympics, she was one of a number of designers who created a te-shirt to raise funds for the Evening Standards 'Dispossessed Fund'. Along with winning Roksanda Ilincic won the Red Carpet Award at the British Fashion Awards 2012. Roksanda Ilinicic has also be noted as the ‘Frock Queen’ as her dresses are also very popular among celebrities, she has dressed people such as; Florence Welch, Lady Gaga, the Duchess of Cambridge and Michelle Obama. Therefore she is noted as one of the most successful designers in England.

When looking at Roksanda Ilinicic the best word to describe her work is ‘elegant’. And Roksanda has spoken about the importance of elegance in her work; “; To me, elegance is very important. It’s something that I have in mind when I start designing, and it’s something that I have in mind when I finish designing. So obviously, it’s almost like a guideline, and something that sets my personal taste, because I’m personally drawn to it. However, I do feel that it’s important to establish a new type of elegance, a modern elegance: not something that is repeating what already happened in the past, but something that is relevant to our time, that feels fresh and somehow different from the elegance that we know from before.”

Roksanda has also talked about her love of England and how it inspires her; “I was always drawn to London, even when I was a student living in Serbia. I liked this slightly punk-y, against the system, style that designers created there.” Along with the very English The Pre-Raphaelites movement; "Combined this sense of classicism and a desire to create something new. Therefore I have always been fascinated with them. As you see, I am always coming back to this idea of newness. I’m trying to develop it through my work. Clothes are there to tell stories visually. It’s visual, but the story is always there."

Roskanda has also looked up to British Designers such as; Vivienne Westwood and Alexander

Prof Louise Wilson, the MA course director at Central Saint Martins - who has taught stars such as Alexander McQueen and Christopher Kane, and gave Ilincic a place on the acclaimed degree course when she first arrived in London in 1999- sums it up succinctly: "Roksanda Ilincic is a woman who creates for women."

Spring 2013 Ready To Wear.
I think this is my favourite collection of Roksanda's as it is feminine with a twist, using bold colours such as orange alongside sheer plastic floor length dresses.

Matches.

"Launched in 2002, the London-based designer creates modern show-stopping party pieces with everything from vibrant cocktail dresses to floor sweeping silk-satin gowns, while her signature use of bold colour, contrast and sumptuous drapery is utterly unmistakable."

I really like love this collection as it is very classic and chic but with a bold twist with modern fabric such as patent leather.