Kenzo’s AW22 collection marks the beginning of NIGO’s era at the label, with the fashion house’s rich heritage fused with the multihyphenate’s creative vision.
NIGO’s appointment as Kenzo’s Artistic Director represents a pivotal moment in the label’s history. His exuberant vision — one that emphasises the use of bold colours, patterns and experimentation — is something that remains at the very core of the fashion house, with Kenzo Takada founding the label in 1970 with that exact focus.
His debut collection for Kenzo showcases a step in a new direction for the label, though the fashion house’s rich heritage and iconic codes remain ever present. For FW22, NIGO takes a deep dive into the Kenzo archive, bringing to light the bold and carefree approach prevalent throughout the label’s formative years; floral patterns are used in their abundance — with reinterpretations of those early prints used liberally by Takada in the ‘70s — while tailoring is deconstructed and applied to different materials and textures.
NIGO’s aesthetic is immediately clear throughout the collection, with utilitarian styling being a key feature and a heavy use of his go-to material, denim.