Remember Tao Kurihara? The Japanese designer is part of Comme des Garçons’ family mentored by Rei Kawakubo and Junya Watanabe, raised up under the empire umbrella with her Tao line (launched in 2005, discontinued in 2011, and then quietly relaunched in 2021).
Even for the most crazed of Comme collectors, Tao can feel slightly mysterious. Kurihara rarely does interviews–even less so than Kawakubo herself. Kurihara first worked under Junya Watanabe before becoming head designer of Tricot Comme des Garçons. In 2005, Kurihara was given her own line, which closed in 2011, because Kurihara “wanted a change of lifestyle,” she said, and returned to designing the Tricot line, which is shown twice a year in Tokyo, according to Business of Fashion.
But then, in October 2021, for its spring 2022 show, Tricot, still designed by Kurihara, rebranded to Tao, with Kurihara at the helm. It was a move that was so quiet, it was only subtly mentioned in WWD’s review of the show; no big announcement, very Comme-esque. Now, it appears Tao Comme des Garçons is back, presenting its collections twice a year in the form of mini shows in the Comme des Garçons Tokyo offices. The result is a mix of Tao’s inexplicable forms and lush knitwear (classic to Tricot), incredible volumes, handmade refinery and that touch of bohemian (it nods at early lolita subculture) so distinct to Tao. Kurihara has always been a knitwear magician. And you can now find Tao at some of the biggest retailers in the world, like Nordstrom, SSENSE.
Kurihara, though, has always had a unique, distinct style all her own–not unlike the complex, wild interpretations by another Comme brand, Noir Kei Ninomiya. It can feel a little bit like, in the grand scheme of Japanese fashion, the fabled story of the Tao brand gets lost. But Kurihara actually was on the pulse: she was upcycling wedding dresses and bedcovers before it was cool, crafting outfits entirely out of paper and playing with elements of punk and folkloric culture in every sense.
The fall 2009 collection was one of my favorites by Tao. It’s never easy guessing Tao’s origin of inspiration. Some say Tao was inspired by Russia or Scandinavia, some say Turkey. When asked about this collection she said she was not inspired by any particular geographic location, but by cake decorations. She later revealed that she was inspired by an Eastern European city, but not which one. Whatever the case, the whimsical and folkloric clothing showed a darker side to ribbons and embroidery. The large velvet bows that adorned the models heads, the silly proportions, the Frida Kahlo-like make-up swept across the model’s brows.
It was always a whole new world with Tao.
Leave a Comment