COLOUR VISION The meeting of Kenzo creatives Humberto Leon and Carol Lim with retail giant H&M explodes in electric colour.
The meeting of Kenzo creatives Humberto Leon and Carol Lim with retail giant H&M explodes in electric colour. By Alice Birrell.
You only have to be barely keyed in to the fashion industry right now to know that there’s big change afoot. With the influence of the street now an accepted force and the great equaliser – the internet – pushing the ebb and flow of trends out to anyone who wants in, fashion elitism is quickly withering. Say what you will about this phenomenon, but two people who’ve been proponents of the fashion-for-all ethos all their careers are Kenzo creative directors Humberto Leon and Carol Lim.
“It’s so exciting to think of all the different people who’ll be coming to buy Kenzo,” says Lim, who along with Leon has collaborated on a collection for H&M. “There will be teenagers who’ll be getting their first-ever piece … and then twentyand thirtysomethings who’ve made Kenzo part of their wardrobe since Humberto and I started at the brand.”
In many ways, the meeting seems inevitable. The Los Angeles-born Kenzo creatives, who founded powerhouse concept store Opening Ceremony together in 2002, know what sells on shop floors. Their initial store in downtown Manhattan gave New Yorkers access to hard-to-find brands from around the world, and
adopted an inclusive approach to fashion (the name Opening Ceremony itself a reference to the Olympic event that connects cultures).
H&M, meanwhile, whose past collaborations include Alexander Wang, Stella McCartney and, more recently, Balmain, needs labels with feverpitch cachet. Both stand for an international view on fashion. “We’ve been talking with Kenzo for a couple of years now and we were so happy that everyone agreed that this was the perfect time to do it,” says H&M head of design Ann-Sofie Johansson.
The pieces, which drop in store and online worldwide on November 3, are already being closely monitored everywhere. “We’ve loved watching the reaction on social media with each new announcement about the collection,” says Johansson. “Everyone’s already saying which pieces they’ll be queuing for.”
Fans of the duo’s work at Kenzo will relish the chance to claim recognisable tropes for their wardrobes at accessible prices. Animal prints are here – a nod to founder Kenzo Takada’s wild murals on his first store in Paris – in searing brights. Acid colours pervade, as do logos, kaleidoscope patterns and off-beat accessories. One sweet exploration of Kenzo’s melting-pot influences is a beribboned folky smock that has hints of Russian and Peruvian traditional dresses, though it’s hard to pinpoint which, and that’s the point.
What Lim and Leon want to express is that this is a collection for everyone – whether colour converts or not. “Bright colours are such an amazing way of bringing a look to life,” says Leon. “We want people to mix Kenzo into their own wardrobe and wear it their own way,” adds Lim. “It’s something we’ve always believed in and it’s the spirit of experimentation that you also find in Kenzo Takada’s work.” A rainbow world view worth buying in to.