Looking at Rei Kawakubo’s collection for Comme des Garçons Fall 2009 is like looking at the illustrations for a fairy tale. I mean, if the Brothers Grimm could see these images, they’d probably be right on creating some highly emotional and conspicously violent story involving a formerly pure, delicate princess who is suddenly forced into the imprisoning grip of protecting oneself from the opression of some evil relative, Queen, demon, etc.
Contrasting the first two images, the collection initially transitions from soft; light fragility to militaristic; dour self-defense. It brings to mind the rather complex dichotomy between, for example, Snow White and the huntsman in the Queen’s initial attempt to rid herself of the true motherfuckin’ “fairest one of all”. One one hand you have the image of innocence, a lovingly adorable person teetering so dangerously on the edge of composure–in essence creating a person who is easily pushed towards emotionally shattered despite their suffocatingly cheery disposition. On the other hand, you have the huntsman; dedicated to fulfilling the Queen’s wishes. His loyalty is represented in green, a color that–strategically–represents camouflage but symbolically represents one’s dedication to fighting their country or leader’s fight–whether or not they believe in it being irrelevant. Where Snow White is solely of the softer category, the huntsman; in his moral conflict regarding actually killing Snow White, is located somewhere in between the two diametrically opposed emotional categories.
Military green underneath the light pink.
This brings to question what the preferable position is during a significantly difficult moment. Is it better to be fragile or defensive? I like to think that choosing fragility allows you to maintain an innocent distance from the conflict. You can’t handle everything face to face because doing so would put you in too much stress, thus, risking a complete and ineloquent breakdown. However, being on the frontlines means that you don’t need protection, thus, allowing for more independence; more confidence under oppressive forces. There is, however, one stipulation–being on the frontlines also heightens your chance of being hurt. Although you’re less delicate, you’re more in the line of fire. That said, does being defensive fully liberate you from being fragile? Ultimately, one’s absolute position is determined in the face of danger, hurt; mortality. However, it must be assumed that even those who fight our fights are courageous under a veil of fragility–over their green is a shade of pink.
Blue
Going back to Snow White, there must be the dwarves. Their position in the story is neither one of defense nor absolute fragility. Instead, they’re protectors–of Snow White in this case–who don’t actually have the power to sufficiently defend her. They’re this middle ground betwen the green and the pink. Blue is a sad color indeed. Placed into this discussion, it is a color of defenseless defense–so to speak. There’s nothing more depressing than wanting to protect someone but knowing that you are unable to do so–to the fullest extent possible of course.
The question then is whether or not anyone is completely capable of defending the ones they love. Indeed, they do so to the fullest of their capabilites; however, nothing is ever guaranteed. That said, you then have the point where all three colors come together. Defense is there (green), the fragility is there (pink), and; finally, there’s the understanding that shit happens and sometimes it’s just out of your hands (blue). This is the most despairing aspect of the whole collection. It’s the fact that nothing is impossible. Superman can be defeated by Doomsday. Batman broken by Kane. Captain America just got assassinated. Wolverine just got stripped of his adamantium.
Ultimately, we must come full circle. Being overly defensive or constantly hanging onto hopelessness all, in the end, point to fragility. What Kawakubo shows in this collection is that this is the most base human condition. To defend someone is to care about their well-being. If they were to be hurt, then it’s all for naught. Being the defender is an emotionally volatile position to choose. In the worst case, you suffer at the hands of failure and also at the hands of the person suffering because of your failure–which may also include yourself.
Even the most emotionally stable; immoveable forces on Earth are, at their root, fragile. Keeping yourself from getting hurt only proves that you’re afraid of being hurt. Kawakubo’s latest collection is, as expected, a visual masterpiece. I didn’t, however, expect that looking at the entire collection would become an introspective analysis of human emotion. When I say that this collection is worthy of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale, I sincerely mean it. Just like Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, or Rumpelstiltskin; there’s a multitude of emotions that one must experience in order to fully grasp the work. The fact that Kawakubo is able to achieve this through a fashion collection is a testament to the actual intentions of her designs. Indeed, she is an incredible business entity. However, Kawakubo never falls into doing something simple–no protesting, no trend setting; no exhibition of useless extravagance. Instead, she does things a bit more psychologically; with a bit more thought. If fashion is ever going to be considered an art, a Comme des Garçons collection is a good place to look first.
//Vladimir Sorokoskev
