Update, 10/21/16: The theme for next year’s Met Gala has officially been announced. After months of speculation, the Costume Institute has confirmed that its 2017 exhibit will honour Comme des Garçons founder and designer, Rei Kawakubo. This marks only the second time that a Met exhibit has honoured a living designer; the first being Yves Saint Laurent who was honoured back in 1983.
According to the New York Times, the exhibit will feature 100-120 pieces from 1981, when Kawakubo first began showing in Paris, up until now. The Met Gala itself will be held on May 1, 2017 with Katy Perry and Pharrell Williams serving as co-chairs of the event.
Original Article, 8/31/16: Rei Kawakubo—the mastermind behind Comme des Garçons and Dover Street Market—is rumored to be the subject of a solo exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute next spring, WWD reports.
The homage to the 73-year-old fashion trailblazer will reportedly mark the second time the Met honors a living designer solo. The first was with Diana Vreeland’s retrospective of Yves Saint Laurent in 1983. Other designers featured in recent years include Charles James (2014), Alexander McQueen (2011), and Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada in a joint show (2012).
Next year’s exhibit is expected to “rival the scale” of McQueen’s “Savage Beauty,” which drew over 660,000 visitors, according to WWD. The expectation isn’t so far-fetched; Kawakubo is renowned for her avant-garde style, and considering the Costume Institute’s success with showcasing radical designs like McQueen’s or those included in this year’s Manus x Machina exhibit, her display could easily attract large crowds too.
A rep from the Met has yet to confirm or respond to the news. Until then, imagine seeing looks like these on display next year:
From: Harper’s BAZAAR US
