Rei Kawakubo’s work in the early aughts is marked by its graphic impact, and her Spring 2001 collection is a case in point. Titled Optical Shock, it mixed camouflage with dizzying Op Art patterns and florals, and see-through jeans with fantastical millinery made with materials like plastic bags, bubble wrap, tinfoil, and caution tape. The designer seemed to be cultivating a sense of conscious chaos throughout.
While walking a narrow runway in a cramped space, models with scotch-taped faces were set on a near collision course with the audience. Despite the general cacophony, Kawakubo seemed less concerned with arousing anarchy than with waking us all up. We were left with a sense that the center will hold, secured by clear tape.
