The year Kenzo Takada opened his first boutique in Paris, Kenzo's present artistic director Nigo was already born. He is now continuing the tradition of his fashion idol by drawing on the traditions of many different cultures.
Kenzo Takada discovered his passion for fashion at a very young age and decided to attend design school in Tokyo. In 1964, after graduating, he decided to move to the capital of the fashion world, Paris. However, this city did not welcome him with open arms. It has taken six years before he was able to present his first collection. This took place at the Vivienne gallery in Paris.
Kenzo the visionary
In 1981 the Japanese designer opened his first shop dedicated to women's fashion, called Jungle Jap. His style combines modernity and romanticism, mixing western art with its eastern roots. As he did not have much money at the time, his clothes were created from combined scraps of colorful fabrics with original prints. But fashion aficionados were delighted by his extraordinary creativity. He experimented with kimonos, showing the range of possibilities for their use, and organized shows in unusual locations to stimulate the imagination of his audience. The Kenzo logo appeared on perfume bottles and home furnishings.
Step by step, he built his brand until, in 1993, he joined today's luxury goods empire, LVMH. Six years later he handed over the position of artistic director in charge of the women's collections to Gilles Rosier and Roy Krejberg for the men's collections.
In 2003 Antonio Marras was appointed artistic director, and eight years later he left in favor of creative pair Humberto Leon and Carol Lim. In 2019 Felipe Oliveira Baptista took over the artistic direction of Kenzo and began an era where modernity reigns, but true to the heritage of his house. The brand's philosophy is close to environmental issues and corporate social responsibility. It is keen to be involved in efforts to protect the seas and oceans, or to promote responsible fashion through, for example, upcycling, the use of scraps of materials used over the company's fifty-year history.
Kenzo Takada passed away on 4 October 2020, leaving behind an invaluable fashion legacy.
The Nigo era
Recently there was again a change at the helm of Kenzo. Nigo, who stood at its head in September 2021, founded his first fashion label in Tokyo in 1993 and changed global street culture. He has worked simultaneously in the worlds of fashion and music, always with a keen eye for detail. Through frequent collaborations with some of the world's most renowned companies and designers, he constantly innovated and created new expressions of fashion. In 2020, he produced a critically lauded capsule collection for Louis Vuitton with Virgil Abloh.
"I was born the year Kenzo Takada opened his first boutique in Paris. We both graduated from the same fashion school in Tokyo. In 1993, when KENZO joined the LVMH group, I started my career in fashion. Kenzo's original creative approach stood out for its understanding of multiple cultures. It is also the essence of my creative philosophy. Bringing the spirit of Kenzo Takada's know-how to life to create the new KENZO is the greatest challenge of my 30-year career" he said after his appointment as artistic director of the brand.
Kenzo's new symbol has become the distinctive tiger. Created and used years ago by Takada on a leather jacket, it has returned in a new incarnation on women's sweatshirts, jumpers and T-shirts.
Kenzo for men:
Kenzo for women:
