To prepare for the future, we turn to the past. As a new reality takes hold at KENZO, Artistic Director Nigo returns to the values rooted in the House's beginnings: designer fashion created for real life, infused with the playful urbanity of Kenzo Takada's timeless heritage. A creative exchange, KENZO becomes an evolving dialogue between the pop culture of the founder's legacy and the street culture inherent to Nigo.
A single course served as a realization for Kenzo Takada that university studies were not his path. The 1964 Olympic Games unexpectedly triggered his career in fashion. The organization needed to renovate some buildings, and one of them was assigned to Kenzo Takada, who suddenly found himself with compensation money and the obligation to leave his home.
Kenzo, Paris
His desired destination was Paris, on an eternal boat journey that took him through Hong Kong, Saigon, Singapore, India, Djibouti, and Egypt—an exposure to new cultures and forms before reaching the fashion capital. There, he started designing using fabric scraps, the cheapest pieces, which eventually created an eclectic and colorful style. In 1970, he opened his first store, Jungle Jap, with vibrant references and voluminous silhouettes that stood in opposition to the rigid runway style.
The success was immediate, and shortly after, Jungle Jap was renamed after the designer and expanded to new creative and business levels, positioning itself as a true promoter of multiculturalism in fashion.
LVMH
In 1993, Kenzo became part of LVMH, the luxury brand conglomerate. After his retirement, the brand has undergone constant evolution with creative directors like Humberto Leon and Carol Lim, who revitalized its image with designs that connected it to its origins, with the tiger becoming its current symbol.
Kenzo at FOOTDISTRICT
Kenzo has managed to build bridges between Japan and the West, between fashion and the streets—a transversal style that is evident in hoodies, t-shirts, and accessories that maintain the play of colors and volumes with which it emerged.
