In Rei Kawakubo's ensemble for Comme des Garçons, a lacuna situated at the abdomen evokes the Japanese philosophical concept of mu (nothingness, or nonbeing). By framing the midsection as a literal and figurative opening, she suggested that the vessel's emptiness is the very locus of creation. The stiff structure encircling the navel echoes the bulbous contours of the gourd-shaped bamboo hanakago (flower basket). Designed to hold ikebana (flower arrangements), this Japanese utilitarian object was both functional and talismanic. The ritualistic placement of seasonal flora in its hollow, womb-like core reflects the internal blooming of life, serving as an auspicious shorthand for fertility and prosperity.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York, NY

07.01.26