Opening Ceremony’s Humberto Leon and Carol Lim, pleasantly surprisingly creative directors of LVMH’s Kenzo since last July, the duo presented their first collection for the house in a few small shows at the house’s Rue Vivienne headquarters just a few steps away from Kenzo’s first Jungle Jap store, opened up by Kenzo Takada in 1970. The duo did their job well, as they did their curating, retailing, merchandising, creative collaborating and designing in their past.
Big K, E, N, Z, O letters were laying around, giving away their sense for graphics. Inspired by American painter Ellsworth Kelly, the collection is bold in primary in colours, texture and blocked prints. Motifs evoking a coastal landscape of seashells, birds and fisherman’s nets are translated throughout the collection in prints, embroideries, and accessories.
Functionality and reversibility is what Leon and Lim considered most; every brightly hued taffeta piece in the last group is reversible. It seems as if they will bring something new to the brand, a little more Americanism, rather than just follow up Kenzo’s heritage. Keep tuned.
