Look 1, coat
2014
Blood and Roses collection, spring-summer 2015
Medium
wool cashmere, cotton, polyster, cupra (lining)
Measurements
109.0 cm (centre back) 61.0 cm (sleeve length)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Gift of the artist, 2025
© Comme des Garçons
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
This outfit features recurring motifs in Kawakubo’s work: flowers (or rosettes) and the colour red. This rich vermillion first appeared in her collections in 1988 and, in Japan, is associated with Shinto shrines and the ink pads used for ivory signature seals. For Kawakubo, the collection expressed ‘a deeper significance of roses, typically happy and pretty’, a reference to the flower’s historical associations with blood, wars, political conflict, religious strife and power struggles.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Japan
Inscription
label, centre back neckline, woven in gold on black synthetic fabric: COMME des GARÇONS
label, centre back neckline, printed in ink on cream synthetic fabric: Made in Japan / (french) / Comme des Garcons.
Accession Number
2025.760
Department
International Fashion and Textiles