A Comme des Garçons show isn’t complete without the hair alchemy of Julien d’ys. Born Pierrick Le Verge, he’s been defying convention for three decades with his off-kilter, theatrical creations for the likes of Chanel, John Galliano and, most famously, Comme des Garçons, where he’s worked with Rei Kawakubo since 1991. Every season, d’ys elevates Kawakubo’s outsider sensibilities with creations that stem from obscure corners of the imagination, from oiled black wigs inspired by David Lynch’s The Elephant Man to candy-floss creations covered in safety pins. SS14 saw d’ys wrap shreds of black fabric around paint-stripped hair to blur the boundaries between beauty and sculpture. “Rei is a genius and I respect her very much. She likes to provoke people through her collections and I like that; perhaps that’s why we get on so well! She understands that I like to create an element of theatre and do things that are a little different, so when we work together it’s magic. She is always telling me to be strong, strong, strong, and never cute! “