Kenzo (stylized as KENZO PARIS) is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1970 by Japanese designer Kenzo Takada and owned by parent company LVMH.[2]
Kenzo Takada was born in Japan and moved to Paris in 1964 to start his fashion career.[3] He then became known for using Asian influenced style with the construction of European fashion. He started with a 'Jungle Jap' boutique located at Galerie Vivienne and decorated in jungle inspired interior. He began with handmade women's clothing; reportedly, he made his first collection with $200 worth of fabrics bought at a large discount house in Montmartre.[4] The brand became Kenzo after a fashion show in New York in 1976, as the American market considered 'Jungle Jap' too pejorative.[5]
In 1983, Kenzo started designing men and then kids and home collections in 1987, followed by fragrances in 1988.[5]
In 1993, luxury-products maker LVMH acquired Kenzo from SEBP and Financière Truffaut for about $80 million.[6] From 1995, Kenzo also produced Kenzo Studio, a line was produced through a licensing agreement with the Bonaventure Group. While Kenzo developed the line's fashion direction, Studio was sold only in the U.S. and Kenzo retail stores in China.[7]
From 1999 until 2003, Gilles Rosier and Roy Krejberg designed the women's and men's lines, respectively.[8]
From 2006 until 2008, over 100 of Kenzo's stores worldwide were refurbished.[9]
From 2008 until 2011, Antonio Marras served as Kenzo's creative director, overseeing the brand in its entirety.[9][10] By 2011, Kenzo barely broke even, with annual sales estimated at 150 million euros ($197.4 million).[11][12]
In 2011, Carole Lim and Humberto Leon of Opening Ceremony were appointed co-creative directors.[13] The pair was credited with revitalizing the Kenzo brand and making it appeal to a younger customer, as well as re-defining and expanding the role of a fashion creative director to encompass all elements of creative work at a brand, not just designing the garments.[14]
By 2017, Kenzo built the accessories and shoe business to almost 30 percent of revenues.[15] Lim and Leon exited Kenzo in 2019.[16] Also in 2019, Kenzo ended its distribution agreement with I.T to take back control of its 35 stores in China via a joint venture with the same partner.[17]
Under the creative direction of Felipe Oliveira Baptista from 2019 to 2021, Kenzo launched a line of men's and women's sportswear, titled Kenzo Sport.[18] In April 2021, Kenzo said it would part ways with Oliveira Baptista by the end of his term in June.[19]
In September 2021, Kenzo appointed Nigo of A Bathing Ape as their new artistic director.[20][21][22]
Kenzo has expanded rapidly in the time since its first American store has opened, as of June 2021 it now operates 6 locations in the US:
In the early 2000s, Kenzo pulled out of the American market, closing its flagship stores in Los Angeles (2002) and New York (2003).[25] In June 2020, the brand unveiled a new American flagship store in SoHo, Manhattan.[26][27]
Additionally it has nearly 145 stores worldwide primarily concentrated in Southeast Asia, Japan and Europe.[24]
The character Kenzo Harper in the BBC sitcom My Family is named after the fashion brand. In 2012, designers Humberto Leon and Carol Lim unveiled a knitted sweater with a tiger graphic on it for Kenzo's Fall 2012 collection.[28][29] Leon wanted to make a sweatshirt version of the sweater for him to wear.[30][31] Despite initial resistance from Kenzo's design team,[32][33] the tiger sweatshirts became extremely popular, with the initial run of sweatshirts selling out within hours at Kenzo's Paris location.[32] Since 2011, the tiger shirt and clothing designed by Leon and Lim[34][35] has been worn by celebrities and fashion bloggers including Jay Z, Kevin Hart, Beyoncé, Zooey Deschanel, Swizz Beatz, Selena Gomez, Spike Jonze, Joan Smalls, Lorde, NorthernSound and Rihanna.[citation needed]
In 2016, Kenzo announced its collaboration with H&M. Kenzo X H&M collection was released on November 3, 2016.[36] The fashion house also collaborates with Inglot Cosmetics company, which manufactures make-up products.[37] On March 21, 2018, Kenzo revealed Britney Spears as the face of its new 'La Collection Memento No. 2' campaign.[38] The collaboration, marketed as #KenzoLovesBritney, features a variety of ready-to-wear nostalgic denim pieces for men and women.[39]
Kenzo has been working with several high-profile photographers for its advertisement campaigns, including Jean-Baptiste Mondino (1996–1999),[40] David LaChapelle (2019)[41] and Keizō Kitajima (2024).[42]
For the Fall 2014 collection, Kenzo collaborated with filmmaker David Lynch, who mixed the soundtrack for the show and provided a large sculpture.[43]
For the Fall and Winter 2016 collection, Kenzo produced the campaign film The Realest Real starring Laura Harrier, Mahershala Ali, Natasha Lyonne, and Rowan Blanchard, and directed by Carrie Brownstein.[44][45] Also in 2016, Sean Baker (The Florida Project, Red Rocket) directed a short film starring model Abbey Lee called Snowbird for Kenzo SS16.[46]
In 2023, Kenzo selected Vernon of South Korean boy band Seventeen as the brand's first global ambassador.[47]
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