​About:

The “crows” wore black. Their pants were heavy and swallowed their legs. Turtlenecks and scarves bundled up to their straight, sleek hair. Choppy bangs shrouded their dark eye makeup. Inspired by the aesthetics of the British punk movement, the karasu-zoku (crow tribe) boldly rejected the cliche, hairsprayed 1980s look, with its blazing glamour, sex, and deep V-necks.

On the other hand, their looks weren’t exactly DIY. The karasu were followers of fashion’s biggest emerging names. In fact, they spearheaded a decade-long style obsession known as “DC burando,” or “designer and character brands,” heavy on high-fashion avant-garde.

But for all their explosive popularity, Japan’s DC fashion houses refused to be boxed in. On the contrary, designers like Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake, and Rei Kawakubo spurned tradition and conformity. Their “new look” silhouettes were androgynous, asymmetrical, and utterly unpredictable in shape. Skirts sagged heavy toward the ankles; sleeves were slashed open and tied in distracted bows; expensive fabrics were crushed and wrinkled.

The catwalk creations were uncomfortable to witness. They represented destruction, rejection, and despair. Yet they struck a cord. Even when fans couldn’t necessarily swaddle themselves in bolts of gray wool, they took away a common theme: darkness, and through it, emancipation.

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https://timeline.com/commes-des-garcon-crow-tribe-998dd7d344a2

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Brands: Commes de Garcons, Yohji Yamaoto, etc

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Ambassadors: Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto, etc

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