Rei Kawakubo

“Even though it is difficult, it is easier for me to make my own things, by myself.”

“I don't like to explain the clothes, how I made them, the theme, et cetera. It's because the clothes are just as you see them and feel them. That's what I want... just see and feel them.”

“I'm not very happy to be classified as another Japanese designer. There is no one characteristic that all Japanese designers have.”

“The place I am always looking for - because in order to keep the business, I need to make a little compromise between my values and customers' values - is the place where I make something that could almost - but not quite - be understood by everyone.”

“I was not thinking about the age of Internet when I was making the fall-winter 2012 collection.”

“Collaborations have no meaning if 1 + 1 does not equal much more than 2.”

“The Dover Street Markets bring brands of all disciplines together to sell their products in an open atmosphere that, most importantly, incites creativity. They are, along with the 'Comme des Garcons' stores, usually located in areas off the beaten track.”

“I don't look very much at magazines or go to vintage stores.”

“I don't like to use expensive materials. I take care to make costs reasonable. It's very similar to the way I make clothes.”

“I am just working every day, day to day, with what I believe. It's a very ordinary way of dealing with your life - just dealing with your work.”

“In response to the making of DSMNY, a change in the Chelsea store became necessary. My flagship stores always have to lead the way.”

“I'm always looking to make something that didn't exist before, fumbling about in the dark, not just while making a collection. The search for something new is a constant in my everyday life. But constantly searching for something new is like looking for a well in a desert.”

“According to research,when given a choice, babies choose gold. It's my favourite colour after black and red.”

“I'm not an artist: I'm a businesswoman. Well, maybe an artist/businesswoman.”

“This idea of collaborating with designers - that's something I can identify with.”

“I want to make a shop that's unlike any that already exists.”

“I give myself limits - not only financial limits, but I also limit my method of expression, and from within those limits, I try to come up with something new and interesting.”

“As I live my normal life, I hope to find something that click starts a thought, and then something totally unrelated would arise, and then maybe a third unconnected element would come from nowhere.”

“I can understand how some women want to marry a rich man. They may be happy for the rest of their lives, but they will never be free.”

“What's interesting about collaborations is the possibility for one plus one to equal three.”