For Nigo, the creative process evokes memories of his own KENZO discovery as a teenager and the fashion landscape that surrounded it: the DC Brand Boom of 1980s’ Japan, a time when the work of the internationally renowned Japanese Designers of Paris Fashion Week co-existed with a local influx of casual, pop-driven Character labels distinguishable by their use of colourful and cartoonish animal motifs. The contrast between the two created a multi-faceted style milieu in Japan: a graphically-driven niche scene imbued with a yearning for the fashion culture of Paris, the spirit of which invigorates the KENZO Spring-Summer 2023 collection.
