Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo to be the next theme for Met Gala

Following up the last theme of Manus x Machina, the Met Gala’s next will be focused on an established designer rather than a concept. The Costume Institute officially announced that Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo of Commes des Garçons will be the next theme.

This is the first time that the Met Gala has chosen a living designer as the theme in over thirty years. The last time was in 1983 when Yves Saint Laurent was highlighted at the Met Gala. Kawakubo was chosen as the focal point for the Costume Institute event due to her prestige in the fashion industry as a designer over the years. On The Met Museum’s website, Kawakubo is recognized for her “avant-garde designs and ability to challenge conventional notions of beauty, good taste, and fashionability.”

For this year’s event, over 120 Commes des Garçons pieces will be on display including her oldest collections up until her most recent ones. The galleries will focus on space in-between boundaries, citing the “in-betweenness” of her designs. There will also be mannequins on display with no physical barriers to further create “no space” between the guests and her designs.

The Met Gala will take place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art next year. Debuting on May 1, Kawakubo’s designs will be on display at the annual fashion event.

Photo: Met Gala