After just 6 months at the helm of Maison Kenzo, Artistic Director & all-around high fashion hero Nigo has already left an indelible imprint on the brand’s eccentric ethos. In the months following his debutant departure for Paris Fashion Week and the unveiling of his first runway show as Artistic Director, fans have looked longingly at the Kenzo calendar in anticipation of a Spring/Summer collection arriving at a moment’s notice. Well, that moment is now.
This Saturday (5th March), Kenzo will be dropping a series of limited-edition capsule collections of its SS22 line across selected stores and on the Kenzo website. Nigo’s playful and often tongue-in-cheek twists on iconic cuts and colourways stand at the centre of his SS22 collection, adapting archetypal Kenzo iconography in out-of-the-box and abstract ways to both tickle and tempt his audience.
With 2022 appropriately being the Year of The Tiger in the Chinese calendar, Kenzo’s classic big cat mascot can be spotted across a number of more minimalistic and timeless designs, adding a cartoonish charisma to an overall more whimsical wardrobe. This is perhaps most evident on both the black oversized hoodie and dark green drawstring cargos, both central pieces to the general aesthetic of the collection. However, it is the charmingly creative additions of embroidered tiger tail motifs on numerous t-shirts and sweatshirts that give the most Nigo-Esque nod to the brand’s iconic logo, demonstrating a shrewd and subtle approach to uniting the brand’s heritage with the forward-thinking and visionary design style of its new AD.
Given Kenzo’s historic ability to traverse the worlds of high fashion and street style often with equal ease, it seems that phase two of Nigo’s reign will aim to frame the brand as an aspirational yet still accessible one that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It is these two worlds that Nigo has so masterfully danced between throughout his career. Additionally, his natural inclination to infuse bold hilarity and playful designs that reflect and guide the direction of contemporary culture, make him the perfect captain to lead the brand into the post-Takada era.
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