Julien d'Ys has been lending his ingenious, macabre hair wizardry to the Comme des Garçons show for over fifteen years, working with Rei Kawakubo to achieve his towering candy-floss perms, greased pompadours and artful neon skullcaps. Born Pierrick Le Verge, his inspiration absorbs elements of fantasy and history, blending everything from The French Revolution and outer space to create his avant-garde rebel sculptures.
For S/S15, d’Ys conjured Mary Antoinette gone awry — upended blonde colonial wigs. “Five days before the show, Rei changed her mind and decided that she wanted something different. She wanted Elizabeth I, but not too much, so it was a real challenge for me,” he explains. “The idea came from a beauty shoot with Irving Penn and Cate Blanchett, where Cate was dressed as Elizabeth I.” The show itself was inspired by roses and blood, revved up in billowing red, shredded tiers and voluminous rosettes. Here AnOther take a look at d'Ys's S/S15 sketchbook.
