Tokyo-based Comme des Garçons was launched in 1969 by designer Rei Kawakubo. Known for her unconventional, anti-conformist approach, Kawakubo's designs are often more akin to experimental art pieces than merely clothes you just put on. Using innovative materials and usually working with a palette of neutral colors like black, white, and gray, she plays with contrast, volume, and symmetry to create design spectacles that are just as provocative as they are influential.

"The only way to create something new was to start without the intention of making clothes."