"I’ve Learned That I’m Crazy:” CDG's Ultimate Archivist Plots His Biggest Sale Yet
Describing a sack dress as “almost like a big bedsheet with a couple of scrunchies on the end” would almost always qualify as a drag. But what if the piece came from the COMME des GARÇONS Spring/Summer 1984 “Round Rubber” collection? Well, then it’s a high compliment, coming from COMME fan and director of the Kerry Taylor fashion auction house, Alex Baddeley.
That’s because the Japanese fashion brand that Rei Kawakubo founded in 1981 isn’t like most others; it leans into oddness and celebrates the way clothing can shape, drape, and warp the body. This avant-garde creativity has attracted a legion of fans like Baddeley, who have been seeking something different for decades. Namely, a fashion label that seems allergic to every usual fashion convention; one that prizes originality above all else (including, sometimes, actual wearability).
But there’s no love affair quite like that of CDG and Octavius la Rosa, founder of the 17-year-strong fashion archive dot COMME, whose collection includes over 4,000 pieces from CDG and other acclaimed Japanese and Belgian brands. After nearly two decades spent sifting through secondhand shops and the closets of private sellers to build up his collection, he’s preparing for the next act in dot COMME’s story, one that’s years in the making.
On September 15, dot COMME and the vintage and contemporary fashion auction house Kerry Taylor will sell 265 lots spanning more than four decades, including garments never sold on the market before. It’s all part of a larger plan to fund la Rosa’s relocation of the archive from its home in Melbourne to the fashion capital of Paris (and to move the Melbourne shop to a larger retail space).
For the archivist, parting with some of his favorite objects is a difficult but necessary task. “At the moment, the archive has been in storage for years. I want to get it out and use it. I want to do some exhibitions, rent it out, that kind of thing,” he told Highsnobiety. “Moving to Paris has always been the plan because that's where a lot of the clientele are from, and I love the lifestyle there. It’s a good match.”
Among the hundreds of clothes available to buy? That beloved SS84 smock dress (estimate: £2,000-£3,000), key works from Kawakubo’s defining “Lumps and Bumps” SS97 show, a handful of 1970s-era pieces designed before COMME’s Paris debut in 1981, and a range of non-COMME picks from Junya Watanabe and other designers in her orbit.
It’s a holy grail to outgrail all other CDG fashion sales. As la Rosa and Kerry Taylor’s Director, Alex Baddeley, took a break from the monumental task of preparing for the auction, we caught up with them both to talk about the partnership and why la Rosa is so crazy for COMME.
You've been collecting since you were 18. Can you talk about buying the first piece you collected? Do you remember what it was?
Octavius la Rosa: Yeah, it was a COMME des GARÇONS Spring/Summer 2001 checkerboard shirt, and then a Junya Watanabe striped knit. I was originally just looking for fun, colorful pieces, and I stumbled across [COMME], which I wasn't super familiar with. I started digging and doing some deep dives, and was blown away by the history of it all.
From then on, I tried to find certain pieces and would go on trips to Japan just to shop in secondhand shops. It was just for dressing up. Later, it developed into more of an obsession and included womenswear as well.
Why did you pick Kerry Taylor Auctions for this, rather than doing it through your own channels?
OLR: I wanted to do something different and reach a new audience — especially institutions and curators overseas. I've always loved and followed Kerry Taylor, so I reached out to see if they'd be open to it, and Alex was keen.
Alex Baddeley: I've been following what Otto's been doing for years and always admired his encyclopedic knowledge. You could show him any piece, and he knows the exact date and collection. He really, truly cares about all of these objects, so when he reached out to us, it was a complete no-brainer from our side.
There's a sense of serendipity about it as well; we did a Margiela auction last January in Paris in this big, disused, rundown building, and Otto had a pop-up for dot COMME right next door. There's a nice sense of closeness; it's beautiful that it's come full circle.
Can you tell me a bit about Kerry Taylor Auction’s relationship to COMME?
AB: We've been selling COMME for decades. Kerry [Taylor] was really the first person [in 2004] to start selling brands from the 80s, like COMME des GARÇONS or Vivienne Westwood. At the time, people were a bit like, "What are you doing?” Auctions are meant to be for historic dress. It’s meant to be this very grand thing, and if it's not Christian Dior or 18th-century robes, then it doesn't make sense. We've tried to prove that that's not the case. Now, when you look at a lot of the museum shows, you can see how that market has grown and changed and adapted.
We'd never had a single piece of COMME from the 1970s. It's super, super rare — even the stuff from the early 80s. To have one thing from Fall/Winter 1981 would be remarkable, but I think we've got five ensembles with jackets and matching pants. It’s been a really interesting research project. You can really see the story and the evolution of the brand — not just Rei Kawakubo, but also her protégé, Junya Watanabe, whose construction is mind-blowing.
It's one thing to see a picture of it, but another to see it in person and figure out how to put it on a mannequin, for example. They really are just works of art.
Many of the estimates are under £1,000, which is quite affordable. Can you walk me through the process of pricing these pieces?
AB: It was a discussion between Otto and me. Otto has this wonderful archive of full runway looks and super famous, explosively colorful ensembles. But on the other side, we're doing lots where you can get an individual sweater, which might just be plain black and from the 80s. That represents a different side of the brand.
Right now, Otto and I are both wearing COMME des GARÇONS. I always love seeing Otto because he has this incredible confidence and exuberance in the way he dresses, whereas I'm a little more reserved. COMME lets both of us express that, and the auction does too.
Auctions are exciting because you have to price things in a way that makes them accessible. A student who loves COMME des GARÇONS can save up £200 or £300 and might be able to get something they really love, but we can also be dealing with celebrity clients, museums and major collectors.
Otto, what have you learned from buying and collecting all of these pieces?
OLR: I've learned that I'm crazy. I don’t know why I’m doing it. It's pretty mad, but I love it. I develop connections with all the pieces, and it gives me such a buzz to find something new that I've been looking for. I live for it.
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