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Jumper

1982 (made)
Artist/Maker
Comme Des Garçons (retailer)
Kawakubo, Rei (designer)
Place of origin
Tokyo (city) (made)

This black ensemble (T.167 to C-1985) was designed by Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçon in 1982. It consists of a black hand-knitted jumper decorated with randomly placed holes, giving it a post-Punk era feel and a black skirt of padded cotton jersey. This outfit is typical of the predominantly black collections produced during the early 1980s by Rei Kawakubo.

Object details

Categories
Womenswear
Fashion
Clothing
Knitting
Interiors
Household Objects
Shekou
Values of Design
Design Society
Object type
Jumper
Materials and techniques
Hand-knitted wool
Wool Yarn
Hand Knitted
Brief description
Jumper of black hand-knitted wool, designed by Rei Kawakubo, Tokyo, 1982, for Comme des Garçons
Physical description
Jumper of black hand-knitted wool. Decorated with holes randomly placed. It uses an asymmetrical pattern and incorporates a deep welt that sits on the hips and gives form to the garment. The body is knitted in stocking stitch with holes placed at random to create a slashed effect. It is made in four pieces and seamed at the sides, shoulders and diagonally across the front and back. The sleeves and welt are ribbed.
Dimensions
  • Length: 93cm (maximum)
  • Shoulders width: 80cm (approx)
Gallery label
(1999)
The famous black 'lace' sweater is an immaculately hand-knitted pieces that uses the decorative potential of post-punk random holes. The designer (renowned throughout the 1980s as "the woman who took the colour out of fashion") has established an interplay of textures, blacks and shadows with the fine woollen undersweater; the 'lace' sweater and the sturdy asymmetrically quilted skirt in a deliberately washed-out shade of grey-black.

Rei Kawakubo's wrapped, layered clothing challenged many of the tenets of Western fashion in the early 1980s. The innovative use of asymmetrical cut, worn textures, frayed edges and a palette of blacks made her one of the most radical avant-garde designers of the decade.
(1985)
WINTER OUTFIT
SWEATER
Hand-knitted wool
SKIRT
Machine-knitted cotton jersey
BOOTS
Leather
Paris/Japan: Comme des Garçons (Rei Kawakubo), 1982

Rei Kawakubo was one of the influential group of Japanese designers who opened up new avenues for Western dress in the late 1970s and early 80s. Many of her designs, notably this asymmetrical sweater, were rapidly 'borrowed' by down market manufacturers and within days appeared in high street shops.

The body of the sweater is knitted in stocking stitch with holes placed at random to create a slashed effect. It is made in four pieces and seamed at the sides, shoulders and diagonally across the front and back. The sleeves and welt are ribbed. The full, ankle-length skirt, gathered into a narrow waistband, is made of a double layer of jersey fabric and quilted. The outfit is completed by a pair of walking style boots.

Given by Rei Kawakubo
T.167 to C-1985
Credit line
Given by the designer
Object history
Registered File number 1984/ 2226. Part of an ensemble acquired together T.167 to C-1985.
Summary
This black ensemble (T.167 to C-1985) was designed by Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Garçon in 1982. It consists of a black hand-knitted jumper decorated with randomly placed holes, giving it a post-Punk era feel and a black skirt of padded cotton jersey. This outfit is typical of the predominantly black collections produced during the early 1980s by Rei Kawakubo.
Associated objects
Bibliographic reference
Mendes, Valerie. Black In Fashion. London: V&A Publications, 1999. pp. 106-107.
Collection
Textiles and Fashion Collection
Accession number
T.167-1985

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Record createdJanuary 24, 2003
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O73390/jumper-kawakubo-rei/
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