--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Clothes are only completed when somebody…" description: "\"Clothes are only completed when somebody actually wears them. If they were art, they could be more abstract. As long as something is new and has never ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/rei-kawakubo-4644_abstract_clothes-are-only-completed-when-somebody_1903337.jpg" --- # Clothes are only completed when somebody actually wears… ![“Clothes are only completed when somebody actually wears them. If they were art, they could be more abstract. As long as something is new and has never been seen before, I don't mind if people call it art. Wear them if you dare.” quote by Rei Kawakubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/rei-kawakubo-4644_abstract_clothes-are-only-completed-when-somebody_1903337.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/rei-kawakubo-4644_abstract_clothes-are-only-completed-when-somebody_1903337.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/072/rei-kawakubo-4644_abstract_clothes-are-only-completed-when-somebody_1903337.jpg) > “Clothes are only completed when somebody actually wears them. If they were art, they could be more abstract. As long as something is new and has never been seen before, I don't mind if people call it art. Wear them if you dare.” [Rei Kawakubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rei-kawakubo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Clothing gains meaning only when worn; art can be abstract, but utility defines fashion. **In simple terms:** Clothes need wearers; art can be abstract. Key Takeaway Wear to give purpose to design. Themes fashion art utility Mood creative analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - runway shows - personal style - design education Key Concepts aesthetics design theory Questions to Reflect On - What makes a garment both art and wearable? - How does context change perception? A Different Perspective Abstract art may lack functional relevance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Clothes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clothes/) [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) ## Related quotes > [One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/one-should-either-be-a-work-of-art-or-wear-a-work-of-art/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [There is no such thing as abstract art, or else all art is abstract, which amounts to the same thing. Abstract art no more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-dubuffet/there-is-no-such-thing-as-abstract-art-or-else-all-art-is-abstract/) [Jean Dubuffet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-dubuffet/) > [“I can not help feeling that it is a mistake to think that the passion one feels in creation is ever really shown in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-can-not-help-feeling-that-it-is-a-mistake-to-think-that-the-passion/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Even now I cannot help feeling that it is a mistake to think that the passion one feels in creation is ever really shown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/even-now-i-cannot-help-feeling-that-it-is-a-mistake-to-think-that-the-2/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [All good art is abstract.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newman/all-good-art-is-abstract/) [John Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newman/) > [My art is not abstract, it lives and breathes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rothko/my-art-is-not-abstract-it-lives-and-breathes/) [Mark Rothko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rothko/) > [All art is abstract, because art is an abstraction of the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milford-zornes/all-art-is-abstract-because-art-is-an-abstraction-of-the-truth/) Milford Zornes > [Art is only abstract when you look the other way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-elizabeth-gordon/art-is-only-abstract-when-you-look-the-other-way/) [Karen Elizabeth Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-elizabeth-gordon/) > [“Art is always more abstract than we fancy. Form and colour tell us of form and colour - that is all. It often seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/art-is-always-more-abstract-than-we-fancy-form-and-colour-tell-us-of/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [A work of art is an abstract or epitome of the world. It is the result or expression of nature, in miniature. For, although…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-work-of-art-is-an-abstract-or-epitome-of-the-world-it-is-the-result/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The more horrifying this world becomes, the more art becomes abstract.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-key/the-more-horrifying-this-world-becomes-the-more-art-becomes-abstract/) [Ellen Key](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-key/) > [“All great art is abstract.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-renoir/all-great-art-is-abstract/) [Jean Renoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-renoir/) > [I can never fathom it when people say things like "I can't understand abstract art!" Or: "Abstract art is junk!" Or: "Abstract art isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-r-audette/i-can-never-fathom-it-when-people-say-things-like-i-can-t-understand/) [Derek R. Audette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-r-audette/) > [“A work of art is an abstract or epitome of the world. It”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-work-of-art-is-an-abstract-or-epitome-of-the-world-it/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [All good art is abstract in its structure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-strand/all-good-art-is-abstract-in-its-structure/) [Paul Strand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-strand/) ## More by Rei Kawakubo > [The most successful achievers in sports are people that are really driven and have that spirit of hunger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rei-kawakubo/the-most-successful-achievers-in-sports-are-people-that-are-really/) [Rei Kawakubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rei-kawakubo/) > [The more people that are afraid when they see new creation, the happier I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rei-kawakubo/the-more-people-that-are-afraid-when-they-see-new-creation-the/) [Rei Kawakubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rei-kawakubo/) > [For me, the best way to know me is to look at my clothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rei-kawakubo/for-me-the-best-way-to-know-me-is-to-look-at-my-clothing/) [Rei Kawakubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rei-kawakubo/) > [I've always said that, growing up in postwar Japan, I never felt any connection to my work through those experiences. The work I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rei-kawakubo/i-ve-always-said-that-growing-up-in-postwar-japan-i-never-felt-any/) [Rei Kawakubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rei-kawakubo/) > [It would have more meaning for me to hear what critics have to say if their values and their ways of living were deeper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rei-kawakubo/it-would-have-more-meaning-for-me-to-hear-what-critics-have-to-say-if/) [Rei Kawakubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rei-kawakubo/) > [It was also never wanting to be part of any group or movement or anything that was the done thing. I hated organization. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rei-kawakubo/it-was-also-never-wanting-to-be-part-of-any-group-or-movement-or/) [Rei Kawakubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rei-kawakubo/) > [Feeling free inside oneself is being free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rei-kawakubo/feeling-free-inside-oneself-is-being-free/) [Rei Kawakubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rei-kawakubo/) > [My approach is simple. It is nothing other than what I am thinking at the time I make each piece of clothing, whether I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rei-kawakubo/my-approach-is-simple-it-is-nothing-other-than-what-i-am-thinking-at/) [Rei Kawakubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rei-kawakubo/) > [The theme of the collection this time is MONSTER. It's not about the typical Monster you find in sci-fi and video games. The expression…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rei-kawakubo/the-theme-of-the-collection-this-time-is-monster-it-s-not-about-the/) [Rei Kawakubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rei-kawakubo/) > [The monsters I thought about are those that don't fit in - those who think differently from the majority, the people of exception, outsiders.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rei-kawakubo/the-monsters-i-thought-about-are-those-that-don-t-fit-in-those-who/) [Rei Kawakubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rei-kawakubo/) > [It's interesting for me to sell Comme des Garcons in places it's never been sold before to people who might not have heard of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rei-kawakubo/it-s-interesting-for-me-to-sell-comme-des-garcons-in-places-it-s/) [Rei Kawakubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rei-kawakubo/) > [There are no limits - I endeavor to make clothes that didn't exist before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rei-kawakubo/there-are-no-limits-i-endeavor-to-make-clothes-that-didn-t-exist/) [Rei Kawakubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rei-kawakubo/) > [I make clothes for a woman who is not swayed by what her husband thinks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rei-kawakubo/i-make-clothes-for-a-woman-who-is-not-swayed-by-what-her-husband/) [Rei Kawakubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rei-kawakubo/) > [I am kind of like the guide, the leader of this discussion. It could be from me, it could be from other people, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rei-kawakubo/i-am-kind-of-like-the-guide-the-leader-of-this-discussion-it-could-be/) [Rei Kawakubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rei-kawakubo/) > [I can understand how some women want to marry a rich man. They may be happy for the rest of their lives, but they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rei-kawakubo/i-can-understand-how-some-women-want-to-marry-a-rich-man-they-may-be/) [Rei Kawakubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rei-kawakubo/) [Explore all 108 Rei Kawakubo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rei-kawakubo/) ## More Abstract quotes > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Wisdom is the abstract of the past, but beauty is the promise of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wisdom-is-the-abstract-of-the-past-but-beauty-is-the-promise-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Where human eyes have never seen, where human beings have never been, I build a world of abstract dreams, and I wait for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-ra/where-human-eyes-have-never-seen-where-human-beings-have-never-been-i/) [Sun Ra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-ra/) > [A little too abstract, a little too wise, It is time for us to kiss the earth again, It is time to let the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robinson-jeffers/a-little-too-abstract-a-little-too-wise-it-is-time-for-us-to-kiss-the/) [Robinson Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robinson-jeffers/) > [“Happy is very abstract, you can't touch it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-veal/happy-is-very-abstract-you-can-t-touch-it/) [Julius Veal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-veal/) > [Abstract Expressionism was invented by New York drunks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/abstract-expressionism-was-invented-by-new-york-drunks/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [The more horrible this world (as today, for instance), the more abstract our art, whereas a happy world brings forth an art of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-more-horrible-this-world-as-today-for-instance-the-more-abstract/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) > [Describing comic sensibility is near impossible. It's sort of an abstract silliness, that sometimes the joke isn't the star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/describing-comic-sensibility-is-near-impossible-it-s-sort-of-an/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [The word of the Lord never comes to us as an opinion, no attempt is made to support it by argument, it comes as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-w-ivins/the-word-of-the-lord-never-comes-to-us-as-an-opinion-no-attempt-is/) Anthony W. Ivins > [A mobile is an abstract sculpture made chiefly out of sheet metal, steel rods, wire and wood. Some or all of these elements move,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-calder/a-mobile-is-an-abstract-sculpture-made-chiefly-out-of-sheet-metal/) [Alexander Calder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-calder/) > [I'm this superphilosophical kind of person. Stuck in a prison of abstract ideas and overpowering emotions, I have this personality that makes it really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsuo-kirino/i-m-this-superphilosophical-kind-of-person-stuck-in-a-prison-of/) [Natsuo Kirino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsuo-kirino/) > [Future lawyers should be more aware that law is not a system of abstract logic, but the web of arrangements, rooted in history but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-frankfurter/future-lawyers-should-be-more-aware-that-law-is-not-a-system-of/) [Felix Frankfurter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-frankfurter/) > [The trouble is that when you read criticisms about the other films that I've made you get the impression that they're all about themes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/the-trouble-is-that-when-you-read-criticisms-about-the-other-films/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [Painting is... a richer language than words... Painting operates through signs which are not abstract and incorporeal like words. The signs of painting are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-dubuffet/painting-is-a-richer-language-than-words-painting-operates-through/) [Jean Dubuffet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-dubuffet/) [Browse all 1,403 Abstract quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Clothes are only completed when somebody actually wears them. If they were art, they could be more abstract. As long as something is new and has never been seen before, I don't mind if people call it art. 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