PFW AW25 - Comme des Garçons Homme Plus

For Spring Summer 2025, Rei Kawakubo created a collection based around hoping for positivity amidst trying times and aspiring to be optimistic in uncertainty. This menswear collection seemed to be a deeper dive into the themes surrounding the previous collection. 

A military based collection is not something most designers would dare to create in the dictatorial era we seem to be in but Rei Kawakubo is the kind of artist that shows a mirror to society. She shows the transition between various uniforms worn by armies worldwide - varying colours, cuts and stripes for different positions and tartans for Scottish regiments.

Throughout the combative clothing, there was a feminine energy prevalent. Flowers on military hats, floral pattern patches, mosaic shirts, cinched waists and splashes of colour in between shades of cargo green. Finely tailored brass buttoned jackets alongside augmented boots providing the requisite contrast.

As Rei Kawakubo described it, “to hell with war”, her latest showcase manages to stand firm on those words. Harsh militaristic basics interspersed with softening accoutrements to create a feminine silhouette.

A world was made, a kinder, softer version of the one we live in. A story was written, where the only garments worn to war were ones made by creators like Rei.