On September 15, Octavius La Rosa, widely recognized as dot COMME, will offer 265 items from his extensive Comme des Garçons collection for sale. Based in Melbourne, La Rosa has amassed over 5,000 pieces and will collaborate with Kerry Taylor Auctions for this event.
The collection includes iconic Comme designs such as the 1997 Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body series with its distinctive lumps and bumps, and the 2005 Broken Bride line. It also features rare pieces like a spring 1984 dress reminiscent of a bedsheet, which was showcased during the early days of Rei Kawakubo’s exhibitions in Paris and holds personal significance for La Rosa. Among the offerings are early, less recognizable designs by Kawakubo, who established her label in 1969 with a focus on oversized, masculine tailoring under the name like the boys.
The auction features 14 lots from before 1980, with the oldest dating back to 1975. Additionally, the sale will include designs by Junya Watanabe, a colleague of Kawakubo at Comme des Garçons, known for his innovative reimagining of army fatigues in fall 2006. The event will also present about 20 vintage menswear outfits from Comme des Garçons, stirring nostalgia for pieces from the late ’90s and early ’00s.
For La Rosa, dot COMME: The Auction highlights the distinctive and unparalleled creativity of Kawakubo throughout the years. “I greatly admire the constant pursuit of newness,” he remarked. “The brand’s ongoing influence and appeal to new audiences, nearly six decades after it began, is a testament to its enduring impact.” La Rosa’s passion for Comme des Garçons profoundly influenced his career choice in the fashion industry. “Seeing the older Comme collections around 2008 shifted my perspective on fashion,” he shared, underscoring his deep connection to the brand.
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