KENZO, the French luxury fashion house founded in 1970 by Japanese designer Kenzo Takada and owned by parent company LVMH, has found its new artistic director, the one and only NIGO.
One of the OG’s of streetwear, NIGO is known for founding BAPE in the early ’90s, creating Billionaire Boys Club with Pharrell Williams in 2005, and creating the brand Human Made. Later, he joined UNIQLO as creative director of their UT line. He’s also worked with the LVMH company before, having worked alongside Virgil Abloh to create the LV² collection for Louis Vuitton.
NIGO expresses his love for Takada Kenzo in his Instagram post announcing the news:
“I was born in the year that Takada Kenzo san opened his first store in Paris. We both graduated from the same fashion school in Tokyo. In 1993, the year that KENZO joined the LVMH Group, I started my career in fashion.
Kenzo san’s approach to creating originality was through his understanding of many different cultures. It is also the essence of my own philosophy of creativity.
Inheriting the spirit of Kenzo san’s craftsmanship to create a new KENZO is the greatest challenge of my 30-year career, but, together with the team, I intend to devote myself to it.
Finally, I would like to thank Bernard Arnault and Sidney Toledano for giving me this wonderful opportunity.”
NIGO will be the first Japanese designer to run the label since Kenzo Takada resigned in 1999. He’ll start his new role on Monday, September 20th, and is expected to unveil his first KENZO collection for men and women during Paris Fashion Week next January.
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