Watch John Galliano and Tomo Koizumi Rip Apart—Then Cleverly Upcycle

For Vogue’s September 2021 issue, the designers were tasked with reworking a piece by the other—starting by unraveling nearly every stitch. Watch the mesmerizing process in the video here.

Watch John Galliano and Tomo Koizumi Rip Apart—Then Cleverly Upcycle—Each Other’s Signature Pieces

The sights and sounds of John Galliano and Tomo Koizumi ripping up each other’s work is almost jarring at first. Ephemeral as a runway show can be, we often view the clothes as perfect, final products; we picture them being tucked away and lovingly preserved in an archive, not hacked apart on the cutting room floor. Of course, that’s what makes Galliano and Koizumi’s project for Vogue’s September issue so provocative and satisfying: Tasked with reimagining a piece by the other, the designers began by studying—then meticulously unraveling—nearly every stitch.

The garments began as familiar signatures: Koizumi shipped his cloud-like ruffled wedding gown to the Maison Margiela atelier in Paris, and Galliano sent his toile for Rihanna’s 2018 Met Gala look to Tokyo. In the video above, we see their first impressions of the assignments—Koizumi delights in Galliano’s toile being finished like a “real” dress, not a prototypes—and get a glimpse of their processes as they set to work. “Taking things apart is the greatest teacher that one could have,” Galliano explains in the video, adding that the challenge reminded him of his scrappy fashion student days. “[It] is quite a joy to psychologically take myself back to that era, and take it ever further.”

Watching the finished garments come to life is nothing short of mesmerizing. Galliano and his team took apart every ruffle of Koizumi’s gown, repurposed the strips as “yarn,” and knit them into an unrecognizable, massively-oversized sweater of ivory and sky blue degradé. The knitting alone took 11 days. Koizumi cut Galliano’s stiff, quilted toile into panels and inserted swaths of ivory frills to give it more volume, calling it “reconstructive design—[Martin] Margiela’s signature.” He then treated the whole look as a canvas, applying his “ruffle paint” airbrush technique and splatters of acrylic. The searing neon hues were a nod to some of Galliano’s ultra-bright past collections.

“The best reaction I want to see is surprise,” Koizumi says. “I want to arouse positive emotions.” It isn’t just the exuberant colors and artful details that feel positive, but the unlikely collaboration itself, too. Watch the entire project play out—from slashed and torn dresses to one-of-a-kind couture looks—in the video above.

Directed by Robert Semmer

Produced by Robert Semmer & Efrat Kashai

Interviews by Hamish Bowles

Edited By: Chiao Chen

Color: Alex Salingaros @ Forager

Sound: Nick Cipriano and Alec Sutton @ BANG

Post Production Supervisor: Marco Glinbizzi

Paris Unit:

Producer & Director: Nikki Petersen

Producer: Amanda Messenger

Director of Photography: Etienne Baussan

2nd Camera: Nicolas Demousseau