There’s a widely agreed-upon expectation when it comes to Comme des Garçons. Rei Kawakubo’s work is not only one of garment-making but of cultural commentary. Which is why, when modified Hannibal Lecter masks came down the runway for Homme Plus’ Fall/Winter 2026 show, immediate interpretations ran through my mind. For the past few seasons, the Japanese designer has drawn on global political turmoil. First, representing unwilling soldiers, then staging a search for a saviour. This time around, the cannibalistic messaging seemed apparent. But backstage, Kawakubo spoke of freedom. Named Black Hole, the collection spoke of cosmic unity.
With its title in mind, the show understandably opened with black tailoring. The designer’s deeply morphed silhouettes found their home in fractured tailoring. Double-breasted blazers were cut at a model’s belly button, paired with trousers that exploded at the knees, only to be contained at the ankle. As if attracted by mass, circular bulbs gravitated to the surface of a tailored jacket. There was a sense of unity, of continuity. Dresses wrapped a singular rectangular sheet around the body, darkness serpenting it.
While the bulk of the collection was plunged in the colour palette of a cosmic void (black, silver, grey), the finale sharply pivoted into blinding light – a symbol of emergence and renewal, perhaps. When it comes to astrophysics, we’ll listen to Kawakubo: light is on the other side of a black hole.
Words by Pedro Vasconcelos
