Exploring Tao Kurihara’s Black and Gold Collection at Comme des Garçons HQ
If you take a stroll around Omotesando early on a weekday morning, you may come across a unique sight. Amidst the sea of dreary salarymen and women, a group of individuals dressed in striking outfits make their way to the Comme des Garçons office in Aoyama. This is the comme-ute, where the staff of CDG converge in their unmistakable finery before starting their day.
Tao Kurihara, a relatively hidden component of the CDG stable, presents her runway shows at 9 a.m. in a dark concrete room on the seventh floor of the brand’s headquarters. This season, Kurihara challenged herself to use materials she had never used before, resulting in a collection she named Black and Gold.
The collection featured glossy black, paneled skirts, floral embroidered vests, and flashes of white and gold. Deconstructed scarlet velvet, plaid, and baroque prints added depth to the lineup, along with intricate comb jewelry created in collaboration with Lovechrome. The show culminated in tiered ruffled skirts that shimmered like gold leaf, embodying Kurihara’s vision of a world that shines brightly in the darkness.
Despite speculations about rococo menswear influences, Kurihara clarified that her inspiration was not intentional. Her primary goal was to create pieces that would evoke a sense of wonder and intrigue. This purity of approach is a testament to Kurihara’s unwavering commitment to creativity, free from commercial constraints.
As autumn approaches, fans of Tao Kurihara will undoubtedly embrace the golden skirts and floral-embossed coats from the Black and Gold collection. Each garment becomes a little world, radiating brightness in the midst of darkness.
