For the Spring/Summer 2023 KENZO women's and men's shows, Artistic Director Nigo expands and refines the world he established in last season's debut collection. Inspired by Kenzo Takada's steady evolution of ideas season after season, Nigo refines the codes of the real-to-wear philosophy behind the House's legacy, creating continuity rooted in spirit and a youth-led sensibility.


Underpinned by archival silhouettes and motifs, the collection deconstructs and reconstructs Kenzo Takada's iconography, reflecting the uniquely Japanese perspective on Paris shared by founder and successor. For Nigo, the creative process evokes memories of his own discovery of KENZO as a teenager and the fashion landscape that surrounded it. During Japan's DC brand boom of the 1980s, the work of internationally renowned Japanese designers at Paris Fashion Week coexisted with the casual, pop character labels that were increasingly influxing into the region, characterized by colorful, cartoonish animal motifs. The contrast between the two created a multifaceted style environment in Japan. A graphic-driven, niche scene infused with a yearning for Parisian fashion culture, this spirit invigorates KENZO's Spring/Summer 2023 collection.



Silhouettes
New interpretations of graphics and patterns from Kenzo Takada's archives inform a wardrobe comprised of tailoring, workwear, dresses, and skirts. Preppy-inspired suit silhouettes continue to build on the subcultural British sartorial values brought to the KENZO world by Nigo, while workwear takes inspiration from the uniforms of American railroad workers and army repairmen from the 1930s and 1940s. Dress shapes are based on archival representations from the 1970s and 1980s. Soft, long volumes adorned with puffs and ruffles, sometimes sporty and tight, with interrupted hems. In dialogue with Nigo's workwear codes (varsity jackets, bomber jackets, boots), they create youthful silhouettes, offering a contemporary womenswear collection rooted in empowerment.



Theme
The DC brand craze is elevated with intricate intarsia knits, varsity jackets, and gilets adorned with graphic character appliqués. Nautical influences like sailor collars, hats, and baton stripes offer a Japanese interpretation of 1980s Parisian couture, an elevation of its maritime uniforms. The motif is reflected in wavy plaid, "dripping" jacquard, and navy bunting, as well as the college pennants used on jackets, tops, and scarves. The flag patchwork is a reference to Kenzo Takada, closely linked to his love of reinventing logos and labels—an affinity shared by Nigo, who adorns garments with reproductions of labels from the KENZO archives. Pixelated florals pay homage to the retro digital feel of the 1980s; blurred flowers are transformed with leopard prints and cartoons; and aloha florals allude to early Hawaiian shirts fashioned from cut kimono fabric. Florals, Stripes, Checks. Pixel Rose Camo, an archival print reimagined as a near-exact replica, appears on nylon, knitwear, and denim pieces, while pixelated animations appear on accessories and logos. As a take on camouflage, the motif connects one of the most defining features of Nigo's fashion language with KENZO's floral history. KENZO MicroPixel, as micro-embroidery, adorns a striped fil coupe cotton shirt, jersey, and heavy baton-striped cotton drill. Wavy Check is a redesigned jacquard from the Fall/Winter 1992 collection used on tailoring and outerwear. Wavy Stripe distorts motifs from the Fall/Winter 1988 collection into wavy patterns, appearing on shirts with matching ties, knitwear, and jacquard suiting. Mish Mash fuses the "Dripig" jacquard of a jacket from the Fall/Winter 1992 collection with a patchwork waistcoat from the Spring/Summer 1993 collection, crafted in cotton-wool jacquard. Patchwork references motifs from the Spring/Summer 1993 collection, featuring a jacquard patchwork of stripes and checks in poplin and oxford fabrics.



Graphics, Flags, and Labels
HANA Leopard is a hybrid floral and animal pattern used on clothing and accessories. Archive sports-inspired flag pieces from the 1980s become KENZO pennants, adorning foulard and patchwork-print jersey pieces. The KENZO label is reworked in an all-over flag print. Archive-derived checks appear throughout the collection. Bokeh Boy revisits last season's bokeh flower motif, a cartoon-inspired interpretation of the mascot featured as print and embroidery on jerseys, knitwear, and accessories. Ken Zō—the latter, Japanese for "elephant"—honors Kenzo Takada's favorite animal, depicted in towel embroidery on bomber jackets, chain embroidery on jerseys, and accessory motifs. Kenzoo appears in appliqué patchwork and embroidery on suede outerwear, and as a print on jerseys, revealing an all-over animal pattern.


Materials
As a key component of the collection, Nigo expands and refines the KENZO denim offering for Spring/Summer 2023. Crafted from highly refined Japanese denim, resulting from intensive development in denim manufacturing and construction, the workwear pieces are realized in black, white and indigo in a variety of washes: from deep indigo to light blue stonewash. Cotton is expressed throughout the garments as drill, linen, ripstop, washed and embroidered anglaise. Wool appears in jacquard, molenton in suiting and workwear, while nylon, satin and lace appear throughout.


Shoes
The collection offers new basketball shoes and new running shoes featuring KENZO Smile details. The City Smile line is expanded with Mary Janes and high- and low-top loafers. Boat shoes combine the characteristics of espadrilles and deck shoes. Japanese zori sandals are featured as rubber slides.


Bags
Evoking the community codes of youthful college dressing, women's bags include the Rue Vivienne leather satchel with a reflective frat-clip closure in mini, small, and medium sizes in a variety of colorways. Women's shoulder bags feature the signature Bokeh Flower Rock, while the Jungle Bag line is expanded with leather designs. New luggage pieces expand with handheld suitcases and tubular backpacks.



Hats
Created in dialogue between KENZO and Mühlbauer (a traditional Viennese milliner who Nigo frequented for 15 years), straw trillbee hats, straw visors, bowler hats and tie caps appear throughout the collection, alongside KENZO's interpretation of the sailor hat.


Production by Back of the House

Show mix directed by Nigo, with a selection of tunes capturing the era when Nigo discovered Kenzo

Finale song produced by Axl
Content production by Kitten
Styling by Marq Rise
Casting by Samuel Ellis Scheinman for DM CASTING
Make up by Lucy Bridge and the Make Up For Ever team
Hair by Anthony Turner using Bumble & Bumble
Nails by Ama Quashie using Dr Barbara Sturm