After three years of a whirlwind of crazy and uncertainty, a desire to run away is enticing. To Rei Kawakubo, the creative director of Comme des Garçons, living a nomadic lifestyle is her true desire.  She writes, “[a life] where you can truly live freely by yourself, not flocking together, not belonging anywhere. It is enviable.” For its new collection, Kawakubo channeled “nomad” into the AW22 collection for Comme des Garçons Homme Plus. 

A master of color pairing and selection, Kawakubo did not hold back. Neon colored shirts, trousers, and jackets walk a fine line between elegant and tacky. Kawakubo uses them in a way that commands the attention of the viewer, rather than turning them away. Each color pairing accentuates the other, and brings out small details in each garment. A model is wearing baby pink shirt dress with a gray coat; the pink shirt draws attention to the matching pink and burgundy stripes of the coat. It’s a small detail that could have been overlooked, but the cohesiveness of colors highlights it. Highlight the small details is a common theme throughout the collection. 

The textiles of these garments are anything but basic. Suits made me fringe fabric, dresses made of tie-dye looking felt, and fabric made to look like a scrunched piece of paper or bubble wrap are only a few of the featured textiles. Each garment has an essence that makes you want to reach out and touch it to feel the texture, giving it not only a visual pleasure, but a tactile one as well.  

Known for her avant garde silhouettes, Kawakubo did not disappoint. Some silhouettes included pairing loose fitting pants with straight cut shirts, or dramatically draping fabric down dresses to create a waterfall effect. Others included making a neckline wide and round to create a scarf-like effect, or cutting shorts at the knee to let the coat hang further. Each look gave the feel of movement and space, honing in on the freedom of the nomadic lifestyle Kawakubo based the collection around. 

It wouldn’t be a Comme des Garçons show without eccentric accessories. One of those accessories is hats. Every model had a hat to go with their outfit. Whether it was a height difference, a dramatic cut out, or painting, each hat had a different style. They all shared the same color, black, and added a whimsical element to each of the outfits. 

For the shoes, Kawakubo showcased the Homme Plus AW22 Nike Air Max. Comme des Garçons and Nike have done several shoe collaborations in the past, and the two new Air Max 97 styles come in a baby blue with white detailing or black with white detailing. Both pairs are made with double-layered distressed leather, a spin on the typically fabric shoe. 

If they weren’t sporting Air Max 97’s, the models wore a new Comme des Garçons collaboration with George Cox.  The British shoe brand has taken two British subculture’s iconic shoes and created a revamped version. The double-strap sandal and Oxford shoe have been given a creeper-like platform sole to fit the aesthetic of the collection.

In the midst of the global chaos we are all experiencing, Comme des Garçons AW22 collection is a collection of freedom.