Nigo welcomed guests through a small wooden door into the former residence of Kenzo Takada. The house, which is hidden behind a typical apartment building in the Bastille neighborhood of Paris, is a Japanese house. The setting felt intimate and deliberate. It served as a quiet placeholder for a brand that spent the previous year exploring unusual directions. Past runways featured oversized platform shoes and characters that left some observers confused. Now, under its new leadership, the brand appears ready for a reset.
| 📌 Key Facts |
|---|
| 🏛️ Brand : Kenzo 🏠 Location: Kenzo Takada’s former Paris home, Bastille 🎨 Creative Director: Nigo 🧵 Key Inspirations: Kenzo archives, Japanese tailoring, American vintage 🐅 Brand Codes: Tiger motif, archival logos, revived accessories 👔 Silhouettes: Kimono-inspired tailoring, workwear, military references 👟 Accessories: Steel-toe boots, canvas shoes, archive bag replicas 🔄 Strategic Signal: Creative reset ahead of a runway return next season |
The presentation focused on the interplay between French and Japanese aesthetics. Nigo drew inspiration from the founder’s early years in Paris for his current designs. He selected soft shades from the 1970s, as well as deep navy and sartorial grays. The clothing is approachable and grounded in reality. There are colorful varsity jackets and tailored pieces inspired by traditional kimonos. The workwear looks sturdy. Western shirts and dresses feature floral prints that appear either bright or aged, like old photographs.
Nigo operates as a researcher, treating the brand’s history as a series of samples. He revived the tiger motif from the 1980s and placed it on plain button-down shirts. The letter K appears on jackets and t-shirts as it did in the past. Some pieces came directly from the archives with almost no changes. A color-blocked suit from 1991 was reimagined in a checkered pattern. An exact replica of a kite-shaped bag from 1986 was created. These choices suggest a desire to honor the founder while making the clothes feel relevant today.
The construction of the garments reveals specific attention to detail. Suits feature peak lapels and kimono-inspired designs. Military silhouettes are softened with delicate buttons. Japanese selvedge denim is sun-bleached to look worn. A new pattern called the “Kenzogram” is used on different fabrics, including nylon and jersey. Footwear includes heavy work boots with steel toes and light canvas shoes. The collection seems designed for a body that needs to move through a modern city.
Follow all the latest news from Fashionotography on Flipboard, or receive it directly in your inbox with Feeder.
You might also read
The house’s garden provided a backdrop of bamboo and juniper trees – echoing a bamboo-inspired camouflage. Nigo spent time filming the pond’s fish for his social media followers. There was no traditional runway show this time. Instead, the event served as a moment of reflection before the next chapter begins. The house intends to return to a full runway format next season. For now, the focus remains on the relationship between a designer and the foundation of the house he leads.
