Comme des Garcons SS26 in Luncheon Magazine Issue 21

There are fashion editorials and then there are moments that make you pause in the middle of the scroll. The second type are the Comme des Garcons SS26 that appear in Luncheon Magazine Issue 21. This isn’t just a brand appearing in a magazine! Rei Kawakubo’s whole concept of creation is coming to rest on pages that are designed to support such weight. It’s a restless energy that has been the hallmark of CDG for more than 50 years and is captured in the editorial “After the Dust”.

The uniqueness of this collaboration is the time of it. The season Kawakubo was already very emotional, with SS26 already being a part of that. The collection posed a simple, yet heavy question: “Beauty when all’s gone wrong? An answer as complex was only natural for the Luncheon Magazine, which had its own voice and rejected any trendy whim. It’s like a conversation between two creative forces that have always been there, not a placement.

What Is Luncheon Magazine and Why Issue 21 Matters

Luncheon is not like any other fashion glossy. An independent cultural magazine published twice a year at the crossroads of art, fashion and food. Each topic is organised as a menu, from appetisers to desserts, and it is a pleasure to read the contributors as a guest list you would love to join. It has some of the most stunning fashion photography of the last ten years, and doesn’t suffer the ads bombardment and pressure of most mainstream publications.

Issue #21 (May 2026) marches on. The problem is that photographers, stylists and artists have one thing in common: They aren’t looking for the secure choice. It is no surprise that CDG is included in this issue, given their purpose for the Luncheon. CDG has always found room for avant-garde fashion, and in this issue of 21, the Comme des Garcons editorial is at capacity.

Paolo Roversi and CDG — A Bond That Goes Beyond Fashion

When Paolo Roversi is mentioned in connection with Comme des Garcons, it’s no surprise that everyone knows about it. Since the 1980s, the Italian-born photographer, who lives in Paris, has been shooting CDG collections. He has had the longest and most creatively fruitful collaboration with Rei Kawakubo. Each time Roversi uses a camera for CDG, it’s like it has hit the walls of a museum as well as a magazine.

His work has a softness to it that is deceptive. On the surface, the images are calm, but there is always a weirdness to them, a quality that makes them the most effective collections CDG demands. That’s the quality that Roversi brings to the frame in the “After the Dust” editorial in Luncheon Issue 21. The photos do not “scream. They linger. That’s what this collection was made to do, and that is what lingerings do.

After the Dust — Breaking Down the CDG SS26 Editorial

The title of the editorial has been taken from Kawakubo’s SS26 collection theme. “After the Dust” is not a pretty language. It’s a design statement. The SS26 line was created from simple, primal fabrics such as canvas, sackcloth and calico, which are then sculpted, scrunched and stacked into structures that are both ancient and entirely “now”. There is a deliberate lack of perfection in the silhouettes. Asymmetrical, bulked in some places you wouldn’t expect, and with details that seem like they’ve been put on afterwards.

Both looks are carried by Models, Natalie ( @pastnatalie) with a weight of her own and Aline ( @aline.wgj). Stylist George Krakowiak, who has previously worked the kinks out of this many-sheeted editorial, takes to the styling without trying to make it less complicated than it already is. The clothing is not downbeat or made more accessible. They’re shown as they are: as objects that are neither clothing nor sculpture. It is this dedication to the original vision that makes this editorial stand out from the numerous CDG features that cater to a wider audience.

The Details That Made This Editorial Unforgettable

There’s a layering to fashion editorials and the details in this one are worthy of their own attention. The headpieces produced by Hizume (@hizume.official) aren’t shoes or bags, but rather accessories in a different way. They are extensions of the clothes, extending the structure of the collection up and out. Their additions of varying heights and weirdness to the silhouettes seem purposeful rather than decorative.

The same applies to the work done by Takeo Arai (@hmaraitakeo) on hair. It’s not here for show. The hair, like the clothes, appears to have been exposed to some trauma. The set design by Jean-Hugues de Chatillon creates a seamless whole that doesn’t overpower the show. These images do not have a background. It’s a part of the story, and that is just what the very best fashion photography is. All the people in the room knew what to do, and it doesn’t feel like anything is amiss in this editorial even though everything seems a little broken.

Why the CDG SS26 and Luncheon Collaboration Is a Cultural Moment

Fashion folks are not just paying attention to this editorial, they have a reason to do so. Together, CDG and Luncheon make what has become scarce in 2026 two creative minds that won’t explain themselves. Neither Kawakubo nor Luncheon designs for approval, nor click for publication. If two projects with the same attitude on the same wavelength, it’s another kind of authority.

This editorial is also a reminder for those who have been paying attention to CDG for a while that at the core, it has always been about the brand. Unlike the past, the SS26 collection was not looked forward to. It considered what remains once the damage, after the crisis, after the dust. Not a pleasant thought, but it’s a truthful one. It was shaped by luncheon, lit by Roversi, and handled by the creative crew. When combined, they created something that will be read long after this season is over.

Final Thoughts

There is an editorial from Comme des Garcons SS26 that appeared in Luncheon Magazine Issue 21 that reminds us of why good fashion isn’t about clothing. It’s about ideas, it’s about people who carry those ideas, it’s about once in a while when every single person who is working on making an image is at his or her best. This is one such time.

This feature is of interest to you if you’ve been reading about CDG for years or just recently found the brand. It reveals every facet of a product that has been created by Rei Kawakubo throughout the decades, reimagined by one of the industry’s original photographers. Fashion changes swiftly yet work such as this sticks around.