COMME Des GARÇONS Revives Its Cult Magazine, ‘Six’

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COMME des GARÇONS has brought back Six, Rei Kawakubo’s short-lived magazine, with a new print edition combining archival material and contemporary imagery. The revival also includes installations in Tokyo, Paris and London, plus a limited collection of 12 T-shirts; the London presentation is scheduled to remain on view through November 13.

COMME des GARÇONS has revived Six, Rei Kawakubo’s art-focused magazine, with a new print edition, installations in Tokyo, Paris and London, and a limited collection of 12 T-shirts. The project brings archival magazine imagery together with contemporary work and extends the publication’s return into the brand’s retail spaces during the Frieze art events.

The new edition is described as the first in 35 years. It combines six archival covers and selected pages with new work by image-makers, curated by Kawakubo. According to the report, copies were sent as mailers to select clients in the cities hosting the installations; the edition is not described as a general retail release.

The installations adapt Six imagery to each location. At the COMME des GARÇONS Aoyama store in Tokyo and Dover Street Market Paris, pillars are wrapped in enlarged pages from past issues. In London, a window presentation at Dover Street Market can be viewed from outside, with a pillar display inside the store. The London presentation is scheduled to run through November 13.

A companion collection of 12 T-shirts features selected artworks from the magazine. The shirts are available online and in person at Dover Street Market for a limited period, according to the report. The source does not specify the collection’s prices, stock levels or end date.

Six Returns Beyond the Page

The revival puts a publication with a deliberately short run back into circulation while presenting it as more than a reprint. By pairing archival pages with new imagery and placing large-scale reproductions in store settings, the project makes the magazine’s visual approach accessible to visitors who may not receive the mailer edition. The T-shirts offer another route to the material, though availability is limited.

For fashion and art readers, the return also reconnects COMME des GARÇONS with a project that positioned images, ideas and collaborators at the center rather than treating the magazine as a conventional catalogue. Its arrival alongside Frieze events places that history in an art-facing setting. The report does not state that Six will become a recurring publication, so this should be understood as a revival project rather than evidence of a regular publishing schedule.

The Magazine’s Eight-Issue Run

Six first appeared in 1988 and ran for eight editions before ending in 1991. The biannual publication served as a conceptual look book but reached beyond clothing into art, photography, film, architecture and design. The source says that only a small number of its pages featured COMME des GARÇONS clothing directly.

Its contributors included Salvador Dalí, Robert Frank, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Peter Lindbergh, Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto. That mix reflects the magazine’s cross-disciplinary character and helps explain why the archive is being presented through images and installations as well as fashion merchandise. The new edition is reported to combine those archival elements with work by contemporary image-makers, with Kawakubo overseeing the selection.

“Six is the sixth sense. It is the sense of the surreal. Although the sixth sense is impossible to describe, ‘flair’ may be one aspect of this sense.”

— The first issue of Six

Print Access and Future Plans

The available report does not give a print run, a price, or a public ordering route for the new edition. It says copies were mailed to select clients in the installation cities, but does not clarify whether additional copies can be obtained. The report also does not identify all of the contemporary image-makers whose work appears in the issue.

It remains unclear whether the installations will be extended beyond their stated schedules, whether the T-shirts will be restocked, or whether Six will return in another edition. No ongoing publication plan is announced in the source.

London Display Runs Through November 13

The London installation at Dover Street Market is scheduled to remain on view through November 13, during Frieze London. The T-shirt collection is available online and at Dover Street Market locations for a limited run, although no closing date is provided. Readers seeking the print edition should note that the reported distribution is through mailers to select clients; the source does not confirm wider public sales or announce a future issue.

Key Questions

What is COMME des GARÇONS bringing back?

The brand has revived Six, Rei Kawakubo’s art-focused magazine, with a new print edition, installations and a 12-shirt collection.

What is in the new Six edition?

It brings together six archival covers and selected pages with new work by contemporary image-makers. Kawakubo curated the material, according to the report.

Where can the installations be seen?

The displays are at COMME des GARÇONS Aoyama in Tokyo and Dover Street Market locations in Paris and London. The London presentation is scheduled through November 13.

Can the print edition be purchased?

The report says copies were sent as mailers to select clients in the cities hosting installations. It does not confirm a public sales channel for the edition.

Are the Six T-shirts available?

A limited collection of 12 designs is available online and in person at Dover Street Market. The source does not provide prices or a final sale date.

Source: rss