Exploring Six: Comme des Garçons’ mysterious magazine

Comme des Garçons. The name alone sparks a wave of imagery and feelings, proof that the Japanese brand has built an entire aesthetic universe of its own. SIX Magazine was the catalyst for this universe.

Published from 1988 to 1991 with a print run of 26,000 copies, it was produced twice a year, in line with the collections calendar, and distributed free of charge to journalists, editors, and consumers. But contrary to what one might expect, the magazine wasn’t about selling clothes; in fact, SIX barely featured any clothing at all.

SIX was about creating a mood, an atmosphere that spoke to Comme des Garçons’ world. Put together by an editorial team composed of Rei Kawakubo herself, editor Atsuko Kozasu, and artistic director Tsuguya Inoue, each issue was a sensory experience, with oversized, unstapled pages that felt more like a poetic art piece than a traditional magazine.

“This is our world. We think it’s beautiful. Join us if you feel the same way,” said art director Inoue in Rei Kawakubo and Comme Des Garçons.

The first issue, published in 1988, opened with an André Kertész photograph of a troop of elephants and featured articles on Eileen Gray and Jean Cocteau.

The second issue focused on architecture, with images by Pier Luigi Nervi. Contributors included icons like Bruce Weber, Peter Lindbergh, and Kishin Shinoyama, but also non-fashion-related artists such as Brian Griffin, who was asked to photograph John Malkovich, a model for the brand.

That’s the beauty of SIX—fashion was never at the heart of it. Comme des Garçons’ clothing appeared sporadically, often alongside the work of other designers, almost as an afterthought.

While the rest of the industry was caught up in pushing products and chasing trends, SIX breathed life into fashion by doing the opposite. It became a space for Comme des Garçons to live, dream, and provoke without the pressures of marketing.

Kawakubo wasn’t trying to sell you a jacket; she was selling a mindset.

SIX wasn’t just a magazine. It was an artwork in itself, a collector’s item, a snapshot of what fashion could be when it wasn’t just about the clothes.

It was, and still is, a love letter to creativity, reminding us that fashion, at its core, is about feeling, about an idea, about art.