Kenzo fall 2018
Aside from incorporating performance art into its shows, Kenzo is also championing more diverse runways. Chalk it up to Humberto Leon and Carol Lim don’t just show women’s clothing during Paris Men’s Fashion Week, shaking up a usually staid week of suiting, they make it a point to showcase models from all over the world in Kenzo’s presentation. This year, they sourced actors and actresses of Asian descent to bring Asian dramas to life on the runway. Fall 2018’s presentation didnt’ just pull drama from television shows, Leon and Lim pulled from their own childhood dramas, creating a dynamic and energized collection that’ll resonate with shoppers the world over.
“The storytelling is the fundamental aspect of where we always begin,” Leon told Vogue. “Our collections are fully story-told, and then we carry that train of thought into the shows, so the shows [become] a big story that you’re watching come to life.”
Kenzo fall 2018
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Chungking Express and Interview With the Vampire were also touchstones, making for a funky, unexpected collection that mashed together patterns and colors (a Kenzo standby if there ever was one) with a play on size and proportion. Jackets got pumped up and stretched out. Skirts were fitted and flared. Taking a narrative from 1998, when Leon bleached his hair, the designers also pulled patterns from the Kenzo archive.
The menswear options were just as zany. Call it the Guccification of fashion everywhere, but mixed patterns and bright primary colors have been a Kenzo trademark, too. This time around, the designing duo played with texture, adding teddybear fuzz to sweatshirts and layering velvet turtlenecks under many of the looks to add one more detail that’s sure to show up at fast-fashion retailers everywhere. 28 cameras shot the show, creating a real immersive experience for anyone tuning into the livestream, which brought customers in on the real-life drama on the runway.
For more information, visit www.kenzo.com.
Images courtesy Kenzo
