For a magazine in search of long and meaningful dialogues, it was always going to be a tall order to imagine Rei Kawakubo as our lead interview.

What were we thinking?

Well, for this second issue of System, we were drawn to those people who reside in their own unique world: places rich with identity and character that can’t - or won’t - fit into the increasingly homogenous confines of fashion.

Whether that’s Bruce Weber’s American utopia, Melanie Ward’s attitudinal styling or the fabulous life of a Texan philanthropist, we’ve gone in search of conviction and integrity. These individuals aren’t marginal or rebels; they’re simply individuals. And the individual, it seems, is at odds with the powerful tide sweeping fashion further towards global industry.

Which brings us to Rei Kawakubo.

Over a series of conversations and exchanges, we were given some rare insight into her life and work at Comme des Garçons. Hers is a world in which the past has no place, and in which she continues to go to extraordinary lengths to create something radically new every six months.

Even when, as she admits, that cannot be achieved.

Ultimately, whether we enjoy the results or not, Kawakubo, like many of this issue’s individuals, makes fashion a smarter, riskier and more unexpected place.