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'WitblitZ' ALIEN VINTAGE

Walter Van Beirendonck SS20

"When working out new collections, I like to wander around the ever-expanding universe I set up in my mind. This time, I visualised my long-time friend and outer- space avatar Puk-Puk (I'm sure you remember him: nice & nasty with a cute dick).

As we caught up, I pictured being introduced to a small part of the alien folk, a community with such limitless diversity of forms and looks, I jolted into designing 'WITBLITZ', my Spring-Summer 2020 collection.

When I started the actual process of drawing and creating this collection, I really wanted to work with experiments in shape. I took pictures of some of the toy-figurines I have been collecting since forever, cut them out and tailored looks to all their specific forms. Some of these beings have four arms, a gigantic head or 0-shaped extremities. Every piece of clothing carries it's own identity print inside, displaying the names, shapes and characteristics of my otherworldly muses.

I call it 'ALIEN VINTAGE' as in this fantasy all of these pieces were originally worn by extra-terrestrials and can now be repurposed to comfort and fortify humanity on the verge of a breakdown. Maybe one day, we - the privileged ones organising and attending runway shows - will need to seek refuge..."

Walter Van Beirendonck on 'WITBLITZ' SS20

Photography: Mia Rankin, Direction & styling: Sarah Pritchard

Hair: Kyye Reed, Makeup: Joel Babicci

Talent: Billie Adams @ Priscillas

Collection Series no.7: Objects for the body.

“The only way of doing something new is not to set out to design clothes”

dot COMME collection series no.7: Objects for the body is an intersection between textiles and architecture, disruptive fashion and sculptural form. Rei Kawakubo’s Comme Des Garcons spring/summer 2014 collection sought to break the idea of how garments are worn altogether. ‘Clothes/Not Clothes’ marks her revolutionary pursuit of defining and re-defining fashion language, translating these ideas to favour a pure form - designing “objects for the body”.

Abstract, shapeless, intangible forms took little account for wearability. Three-dimensional structures protrude from the body, with eccentric silhouettes and exaggerated proportions, sharing formal qualities with sculpture and conceptual artworks. Without traditional toiles or fittings, these hybrid bodies became a defining characteristic of every subsequent collection.

The following pieces from Comme Des Garcons and Noir Kei Ninomiya, from the private collection of Octavius La Rosa upend conventional beauty in radical expression - one that blurs the boundaries between dress and body, object and subject.

Now open on lvl 4.

Photographs & text by Joshua Hourigan

Collection Series no.6: 2000, A CELEBRATION.

Presenting dot COMME Collection series no.6 : 2000, showcasing works by Rei Kawakubo | Comme des Garçons & Walter Van Beirendonck, curated from the private archive of Octavius La Rosa. Now open on lvl 4.

Celebrating a coming of age - pieces from the year 2000 receive their vintage classification in the year 2020. In honour of this dot COMME collection showcase's significant pieces from the year.

"ARE YOU DREAMING?" fiufiu x dotCOMME

"ARE YOU DREAMING?" an exhibition featuring & celebrating key pieces by Comme des Garçons | Rei Kawakubo from the private archive of Octavius La Rosa - alongside 400 select items from #dotCOMMEcollection available for purchase.

Graphic design by Alex Margetic.

Collection Series no.5: EMOTIONS

Presenting dot COMME Collection series no.5 : EMOTIONS, showcasing works by Rei Kawakubo | Comme des Garçons & Walter Van Beirendonck, curated from the private archive of Octavius La Rosa. Now open on lvl 4.

To celebrate, 200 limited edition mood rings are available, our gift to you. Each engraved ring changes colour to reflect your mood!

Collection Series no.4: PICK UP STITCH

Knit, purl and repeat.

Introducing collection series no. 4: PICK UP STITCH - now open at dot COMME collection. Showcasing works by Rei Kawakubo | Comme des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto and Walter Van Beirendonck. To celebrate, 100 limited edition patterns / posters are available for lvl 4 visitors, our gift to you. Each envelope contains an instruction and pattern to knit your own dot COMME tote bag.

Collection Series no.3: WARP & WEFT

dyed, patched, stitched

upcycled, recycled, reimagined

Presenting the dot COMME Collection series no.3 : WARP & WEFT, a study of denim; showcasing works by Rei Kawakubo | Comme des Garçons, Junya Watanabe and Walter Van Beirendonck curated from the private archive of Octavius La Rosa.

Collection Series no.2: EXTREMES

Bulbous volumes, elongated silhouettes with a tongue in cheek shock to the system - they took it there!

Introducing collection Series no.2 EXTREMES: showcasing works by Rei Kawakubo | Comme des Garçons, Issey Miyake and Walter Van Beirendonck, curated from the private archive of Octavius La Rosa.

Collection Series no.1: FLAT

We are thrilled to present to you ongoing exhibitions featuring key archival garments from the dot COMME Collection, archived and curated by Octavius (Otto) La Rosa.
The collection is now spanning over 3,500 pieces from the iconic Japanese designers Rei Kawakubo | Comme des Garçons, Junya Watanabe, Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and famed Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonck.
The 11 year offline archive consists of garments from each runway season dating back to the early 1970’s. Key garments will be brought out of storage and will be on display to the public at the dot COMME Collection space (lvl 4, Curtin House) with a new series every 6 weeks.

Collection Series no.1 FLAT is now up until the 31st December 2018 and features 6 key runway looks by Rei Kawakubo, Comme des Garçons 2012-13 AW ‘2 Dimensions’.
A complimentary limited edition numbered poster (edition of 100) is available on request (one per visitor).

Wallpaper, Yellowtrace, Broadsheet and more featured the new 'dot COMME Collection' space.

For the Selfridges X The Rolling Stones collaboration Comme des Garcons Homme Plus 2006ss collection garments from the dot COMME archive are available for purchase in London at The Selfridges Corner Shop (for a limited time)

i-D France included dot COMME in their international vintage shopping guide.

We partnered with Farfetch to show decade-defining Comme des Garçons pieces from Octavius' archive here. dot COMME is now official partners with Farfetch and will be selling select garments via their website and app.

Farfetch features the Melbourne store and Octavius online here

Opening Ceremony hosted dot COMME in their NYC & LA with 250 garments available to purchase. Read about it here

Novembre Issue 11 features dot COMME garments

Elle China features Octavius and the Melbourne store in their April 2017 issue

Vogue and AnOther have reported on our Pop-up in Paris

Dazed interviews Octavius with an editorial shot by Phebe Shmidt, styled by Hali Christou. Read it here

SSENSE interviews Octavius about how dot COMME began here

Bullet Magazine features select pieces for 'WOW' captured by Zac Stone styled by Kurt Johnson.

Novembre Magazine features selected garments in 'The Raft' captured by Anna Pogossova, styled by Sarah Starkey here.

The Comme des Garçons Homme Plus Compressed wool suit was featured in “The Great Depression” curated by Romain Dauriac at the Balice Hertling Gallery Paris (47 Rue Ramponeau). Image Courtesy Galerie Balice Hertling, Paris.

dot COMME featured in Museum Magazine, Issue 3.

Selected Walter Van Beirendonck pieces for ‘Logomania’ in Russh magazine.

Selected pieces featured in the Editorial ‘Movement’ from the Freedom issue 106 of Oyster Magazine, captured by Jo Duck, styled by Kate Reynolds.

POP magazine features selected garments captured by Sasa Stucin & Laura Gardner.

Phebe Schmidt X dot COMME on La Monda Magazine

Oyster Magazine featured various pieces captured by Jo Duck, styled by Kate Reynolds.

i-D featured our stop motion film in collaboration with Antuong Nguyen & Adam Wood.

Susie from Style Bubble wrote about us.

Upon Walter Van Beirendonck’s recommendation selected W & L T pieces from the dot COMME archive were available at the Opening Ceremony LA & NYC stores during their 2014 year of Belgium.