In January, NIGO‘s debut KENZO collection hit the runway, clearly defining his vision for the Kenzo Takada-founded brand: a marriage between the house’s traditional codes and NIGO’s contemporary streetwear tastes.
Returning for his second KENZO collection, creative director NIGO invites you to enroll in KENZO University, where tastefully-dressed college kids attend masterclasses on the house’s rich archives.
As floating academic flags welcomed you to the halls of KENZO, models walked the runway in lively sweater vests, varsity jackets, and even patchwork outerwear oozing of preppy coolness.
Collegiate dressing à la KENZO is further elevated by scholarly KENZO branding and animated embroidered badges – a nod to the vibrancy and playful spirit both the house’s attitude and the 1980s DC Brand Boom.
During the prosperous era, that is the DC Brand Boom, where Japanese designers in the Parisian fashion scene were abundant, NIGO was introduced to the world of KENZO, kickstarting what would become a promising future together.
Meanwhile, ivy league suiting gets dressed in trippy stripes and checkered prints, which happen to be mind-bending reinterpretations of KENZO’s historical and renowned FW88 and FW92 patterns.
Derby shoes and Mary Janes round off the KENZO SS23 uniform, equipped with Kenzo-branded steel toe details and contrasting soles.
Interestingly, KENZO’s SS23 academic stylizations also find themselves caught amid NIGO’s ongoing denim love affair, as pieces comprised of the cotton-twill fabric tout university-style lettering.
Following the SS22 denim collection, KENZO SS23 sees another delivery of the material in shirting and trousers, with striped and even the Hana Leopard-printed denim comprising the house’s latest denim course.
While I didn’t spy any Boke flowers dressing KENZO’s denim this go-around, a healthy dose of its presence is undoubtedly felt in details ranging from handbag locks to suit brooches.
The KenZō – the Japanese translation for “elephant” — rounds off KENZO’s SS23 unique characters, honoring the brand’s vigorous spirit through Takada’s all-time favorite animal.
While Ye and Julia Fox’s chaotic short-lived romance was absent from KENZO’s front row this season, the best seats in the house for SS23 still hosted an intriguing bunch, including Jaden Smith, Addison Rae, Chloe Cherry, and Justin Timberlake, to name a few.
While they combat the struggles of adulting and responsibilities, stylish higher education seekers dream of KENZO’s latest collection. KENZO SS23 evokes a youthful and scholastic-ly chic essence, riffing with KENZO’s spirited aesthetic and NIGO’s sense of cool.
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