In the mid-20th century, when haute couture was at its height, Kenzo Takada, along with Castelbajac and Sonia Rykiel, rebelled against the Parisian mode and laid the foundation of prêt-a-porter. He is also known as a pioneer of street fashion, and began creating collections heavily influenced by London youth culture at a time when mods and rockers were taking the world by storm.
Takada's first runway show was in 1970. The venue was the "Galerie Vivienne," a historical arcade near the Louvre Museum in Paris.
On January 23 this year, almost half a century after this show, KENZO chose the same place as the stage for its relaunch. The brand is led by NIGO®︎, a leader in Tokyo street fashion. He is a graduate of Bunka Fashion College, the same school as Takada, and was born in 1970.
Located in the heart of Paris, "Galeries Viviennes" is a historic arcade built in 1823 with mosaic-patterned tiles on the floor.
Gifts placed in the auditorium. Blankets that doubled as ponchos were handed out to visitors.
The audience was filled with celebrities and rappers, including NIGO®︎'s close friend Pharrell Williams and Kanye West a.k.a. Ye. Before the curtain rose, NIGO®︎ himself appeared on the runway and watched the show from the same seat as the invited guests. Normally, the designer who plays the leading role goes out on stage to greet the audience after the finale, but NIGO®︎'s unorthodox character can be felt in the fact that he did not care about such a thing.
Pharrell Williams Family
Kanye West and Julia Fox
Rapper Pusha T.
Stylist Bloody Osiris.
Rapper Ganna
The collection was centered on designs that paid homage to Takada, with plenty of ideas from his roots in American casual, traditional, work, military, London culture, and Japanese clothing. The collection is a creation that retains the elegance of the Kenzo style, and the pop colors and graphics typical of NIGO®︎ are incorporated without any sense of discomfort.
Industry insiders and fashion lovers from around the world watched with bated breath as Takada created 60 pieces. Rather than presenting a collection of surprising designs or collaborations, this first collection was created in honor of Takada, while incorporating his favorite tastes.
Looking back again, when the author once interviewed NIGO®︎, he said the following
After I sold the company (Abasing Ape ®︎), I thought about retiring since I had already experienced everything. However, I was surprised when I was told by friends and seniors who knew me from the past, "NIGO®︎ has always been a cut-throat leader, and I want you to do even better from now on. By doing so, I hope I can give some hope to the younger generation who are stuck in the same situation as I was.
He is the only Japanese to work for an LVMH Group brand.
In an age when values are diversifying and fashion is becoming more and more difficult, this collection must have given people hope for the future.
