Sixth Sense, no. 1

Sixth Sense, no. 1

Six

Rei Kawakubo's Aesthetic Sixth Sense (Exhibition : 2008)

The first issue of Sixth Sense featured among other photo essays highlights from the Comme des Garçons 1988 season, including Timothy Greenfield-Sanders' portraits of contemporary artists dressed in the firm's Homme line. Particularly notable is a die-cut overlay in a feature on Jean Cocteau, which puts the French Surrealist in a stylish Comme des Garçons suit.

Rei Kawakubo's Aesthetic Sixth Sense. -- Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo maintains strict control over all design elements associated with her fashion house Comme des Garçons. Since founding the company in 1973, she has overseen not only the individual clothing lines, but also the design and layout of the individual stores and seasonal catalogues, marking them all with her own unique style. -- From 1988 to 1991, Kawabuko embarked on a bold experiment that transformed the notion of a fashion catalogue from a documentary listing of individual items into a bold, avant-garde fine arts magazine that incidentally included images of the season's line. She called the publication Sixth Sense, or Six for short, explaining in the premier issue, "'Six' is the sixth sense. It is the sense of the surreal. Although the sixth sense is impossible to describe, "flair" may be one aspect of this sense." Each issue mixed newly commissioned works by the hottest contemporary fashion photographers showcasing Comme des Garçons wardrobe with iconic images created by the masters of photography. Contemporary artists frequently appeared in the issues, both with their art and as models. The overall gritty quality of the prints is evocative of Kawakubo’s design aesthetic, which in the early days of the company was considered "Hiroshima chic." -- The Clark is one of a small number of libraries that holds a complete set of Sixth Sense.

CAI copy included in Library exhibition titled "Rei Kawakubo's Aesthetic Sixth Sense" held September 15 - November 14, 2008

Displayed open to Jean Cocteau page.

Exhibition page: http://www.clarkart.edu/museum/exhibitions_past_detail.cfm?EID=3413

Comme des Garçons Co.

Tokyo : Comme des Garçons, 1988

Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Library

Semi-annual periodical

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