“Smaller is stronger” was the phrase used by Rei Kawakubo for COMME des GARÇONS’ 2025-26 AW collection. The message was that small-scale businesses are doing some amazing work, striking enough to exceed their larger counterparts, at a time when big businesses, mass culture and the ever-expanding internet society are shaping people’s lives. It was a challenge from an independent creator, praising the small designers struggling to continue making their wares. ...