I have chosen to do the Kenzo SS20 show as I personally like the unique items that are used and I also would like to learn more about the brand. I like the way that it starts with models dancing a traditional dance whilst all dressed in the new Kenzo season. I like this because I think that it helps to create the atmosphere that they’re going for. Kenzo held their SS20 show in Paris this year for the close of the men’s fashion week.
The key looks from the collection are:
look 54, look 56, and look 67
I personally think that the designs in the first picture will be very popular as the style of having old art work on either a hoodie, t-shirt or shorts is extremely popular at the moment.
The washed gradient blue style crewneck is a very nice piece as it is simple and yet complex at the same time. This is good for a piece of clothing as it makes it a lot easier to style with a variety of other garments. This crewneck is also extremely popular at the moment as other brands such as supreme have been selling out of their stock with prices double that of Kenzo.
The all over print tri colour patch jacket is a very nice piece as it stands out whilst still being subtle. This would be a nice piece to wear over the top of a completely different outfit as it is very long.
The bags displayed throughout that are filled with holes holding a bag in the middle are an amazing idea, Off White recently created bags with holes in which the media loved but also ranted about as nothing stayed in them. Kenzo’s way of taking this style whilst keeping the original use of a bag is perfect.
Kenzo initially named his brand after the slur ‘Jap’, which went down terribly in America. He did this as an attempt to re associate the word with something beautiful. He eventually realised that he had made a bad decision and was better off renaming the label and storer ‘Kenzo’.
Kenzo printed as KENZO is a French luxury fashion house that was founded in 1970 by the Japanese designer Kenzo Takada. He was born in Japan and decided to move to Paris in 1964 with big dreams to launch his fashion career. He then became known for using Asian and Japanese influenced style with the construction of European fashion. He started out with a ‘Jungle Jap’ boutique based in Paris and decorated it in jungle inspired decor. He began hand making women’s clothing, then in 1983 Kenzo decided to start designing menswear and then kids clothing aswell. The brand Kenzo is now an international brand for luxury goods owned by LVMH who bought the brand in 1993.
Kenzo Takada is currently 80 years old and living in France. After being the creative director of Kenzo for 30 years he finally decided to pass on the title to Gilles Rosier in the year 2000, who then passed it on to Antonio Marras in 2004. Then in 2011 Humberto Leon and Carol Lim took over up until 2019 when Felipe Oliveira Baptista took over and he remains the creative director of Kenzo today.
During their time as the creative directors Humberto Leon and Carol Lim they also became the head designers of the brand. They created a print of a tiger that everyone seemed to love, the tiger shirt and clothing has been seen on many A-list celebrities such as Beyoncé, Selena Gomez, Rihanna.
Kenzo’s magazine shoots normally stick to a similar theme as their runway shows yet are more simplified. They have block colour back drops and a central focus which lets the clothing speak for itself. Kenzo styling normally incorporates 1 print item with the rest in a block colour. Models tend to be bunched up with almost awkward poses to then create a visually interesting effect.
In 2016, Kenzo announced its collaboration with H&M. The Kenzo x H&M collection was released on the 3rd of November 2016. The fashion house also collaborated with Inglot Cosmetics who manufacture make-up products. On the 20th of March 2018 Kenzo revealed that Britney Spears would be the face of its new ‘La Collection Memento No. 2’ campaign. The collaboration, marketed as #KenzoLovesBritney, features a variety of ready-to-wear nostalgic denim pieces for men and women. This went down extremely well with consumers as some sizes even sold out! Kenzo Takada achieved most of his fame by making garments unlike anything Paris was used to. His first collection was presented in the spring of 1970 and it consisted of ‘kimono’ inspired pieces that rejected the streamlined space age shifts and slender suits that had dominated throughout the 60’s. He disliked the western practice of molding a garment to the figure through the use of darts, seams, and fastenings and instead decided to introduce the Eastern custom of wrapping loose layers.
Within just a few seasons of Kenzo’s shows the press, buyers and fans were selling out his over he top shows. Kenzo decided to celebrate a multi hued world that was harmonious throughout his outfits.
Kenzo was once told that it was impossible for a Japanese man to work in the fashion industry in Paris. Men weren’t allowed into design schools and being creative was not accepted in Japanese society in the 1950’s. And more than anything his parents hated the idea of him working in fashion.
By the end of the 1970’s Kenzo was considered the number one selling brand worldwide. Kenzo’s incredible career is celebrated in a new biography about him that is written and curated by his friend Kazuko Masui and her daughter Chihiro. The book was released in 1999 as a published collection of sketches which took on a more ambitious format after Kazuko’s death, when Chihiro took over the project. The biography speaks about the 30 years that Kenzo spent at the brand.
Kenzo will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year.
Fashion Blog by Max Horner 