The Sixth Sense

There’s an undeniable allure that surrounds the obscure. The latter of which is something Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons has spent decades mastering. Wanting to explore the idea of the sixth sense, she transported her rebellious attitude from design to print and created Six in 1988. The unstapled, A3 biannual publication was shrouded in mystery. Not a single word was printed on the inside of the eight issues that marked the new season’s collection. Instead, abstract photography, illustrations and artworks were a visual delicacy for the reader. Despite its three year reign, publishing the the last issue in 1991, Six still remains an iconic cult creation that included the works of Peter Lindbergh, Gilbert and George and Bruce Weber.

Ever evolving, Rei Kawakubo has modernised the work from Six with an interactive app, Moving Six, allowing the user to flick through the intricate magazine in digital form. With the option to peel back layers to reveal photography under original imagery and move it about as if it were 3D, the app returns to Comme des Garçons past with a 21st century touch.

In conjunction with the launch of the new season’s collections at Dover Street Market, Rei Kawakubo has designed an installation using selected images from the magazines archive for the window display. The temporary structure that opened on Saturday will bring to life the artistic vision of Six which maintains true to Comme’s distinctive style.