COMME Des GARÇONS Revives Its Cult Magazine, ‘Six’

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COMME des GARÇONS has revived Six, Rei Kawakubo’s magazine, with a print edition combining archival material and new work. Installations are on view in Tokyo, Paris and London, alongside a limited collection of 12 T-shirts.

COMME des GARÇONS has revived Six, Rei Kawakubo’s art and fashion magazine, with a new print edition, installations in Tokyo, Paris and London, and a limited run of 12 T-shirts. The return brings archival pages together with new work selected to reflect the publication’s approach to image-making.

The new issue is the first in 35 years, according to Hypebeast’s report. It brings together six archival covers and selected pages from earlier editions with work by contemporary image-makers. Kawakubo curated the new material, the report said. The print edition is being distributed as a mailer to select clients in the cities hosting installations, according to Adrian Joffe, president of Comme des Garçons International.

The installations adapt the magazine’s imagery to each location. At COMME des GARÇONS Aoyama in Tokyo and Dover Street Market Paris, pillars wrapped in images from past issues are displayed in the stores’ spaces. In London, a window exhibition at Dover Street Market can be viewed from outside, with a pillar display inside. The London presentation is scheduled to remain on view until November 13 during Frieze London.

A companion collection of 12 T-shirts uses selected artwork from the magazine. Hypebeast reports the shirts are available online and in person at Dover Street Market for a limited time. The available source does not specify the edition size, prices or how long the shirts will remain on sale.

Six Returns Beyond the Page

The revival puts a publication with a short run back into circulation across print, retail spaces and clothing. That format reflects how Six operated: it was not simply a catalogue of COMME des GARÇONS garments, but a platform for imagery and ideas connected to art, photography, film and design. The new installations also make archival magazine pages visible to visitors who may not receive the print mailer.

For readers and collectors, the return offers renewed access to material from a magazine that has been out of print for decades, while the new issue places that archive alongside contemporary work. The T-shirt collection extends selected images into a wearable product, though the source does not give details on quantities or whether the print edition will be sold publicly.

A Brief Run, Lasting Influence

Six was first published in 1988 and ran for eight editions before ending in 1991. It was a biannual publication and functioned as a conceptual lookbook, with only a small portion of its pages featuring COMME des GARÇONS clothing. Its wider subject matter included visual culture and creative work beyond fashion.

Past contributors named in Hypebeast’s report include Salvador Dalí, Robert Frank, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Peter Lindbergh, Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto. Kawakubo described the magazine’s purpose in terms of imagery rather than straightforward product presentation. The current return draws on that archive, but the report does not identify the contemporary image-makers whose work appears in the new issue.

““Six is the sixth sense. It is the sense of the surreal. Although the sixth sense is impossible to describe, ‘flair’ may be one aspect of this sense.””

— Six, in the first issue, as quoted by Hypebeast

Edition and Sale Details Remain Unclear

The source report does not state whether the new print issue will be available for general purchase, how many copies were produced or which contemporary artists contributed. It also does not give prices, quantities or an end date for the 12-shirt collection. The report says select clients in the installation cities received the magazine as a mailer; it does not describe the full distribution list.

The London installation has a stated closing date of November 13. The report does not provide end dates for the Tokyo or Paris displays, so their current run lengths are unclear.

London Display Runs Through November 13

The London presentation at Dover Street Market is scheduled to remain on view through November 13, coinciding with Frieze London. The T-shirts are described as a limited-run release and are available through Dover Street Market online and in person, according to Hypebeast.

Further details about public access to the print edition, the shirt release period and the Tokyo and Paris installation schedules have not been provided in the source report. Those details may clarify how widely the revival will reach beyond the selected-client mailers and the three exhibition locations.

Key Questions

What is Six?

Six is a COMME des GARÇONS magazine associated with Rei Kawakubo. It began in 1988, ran for eight editions and ended in 1991.

What is included in the new issue?

The revived print edition combines six archival covers and selected pages with new work by contemporary image-makers. Kawakubo curated the new material, according to Hypebeast; the contributors are not named in the report.

Where can the installations be seen?

Installations are reported at COMME des GARÇONS Aoyama in Tokyo, Dover Street Market Paris and Dover Street Market London. The London display is scheduled to run until November 13.

Can the public buy the magazine or the T-shirts?

The magazine was mailed to select clients in the cities hosting the installations, according to Adrian Joffe. The report does not confirm general sales of the print edition. A 12-piece T-shirt collection is available online and in person at Dover Street Market for a limited time.

Source: rss