AP – Nigo first drew global renown with the streetwear brand A Bathing Ape that he began in 1993. Several decades later at the helm of one of LVMH luxury giant’s biggest labels Kenzo, those vibrant colours and streetwise prints were evident in creative fusion with some traditional Kenzo themes such the red poppy print.
Both designers, the house said, had “an understanding of the synthesis between Japanese and Western wardrobe traditions”. Nigo is “envisioning it as a tunnel toward the future and beyond the borders of fashion”.
Thus, exaggeratedly oversize berets mixed with clashing-colour prints on silk, standout loose wool coats in maize, printed silk neck scarves, chunky sheeny leather loafers, and high-waisted chino pants. Stripes followed checks, tassels, straps and gold-buckled belts.
There were even a series of finely tailored sartorial preppy looks with loose proportions, one of which nicely evoked the cross-over styles of Japanese clothing.
Nigo went all out, sending myriad styles and silhouettes – as well as men and women’s designs – down this unusual runway. Sheer vibrancy was the one unifying theme.
