14 October 2023

Japanese tailoring and American workwear combined by Kenzo's artistic director Nigo for the Kenzo X Levi's® collection, including genderless outerwear

Earlier this month, the Kenzo x Levi's® collaborative collection was launched in Kenzo and Levi's stores worldwide and online with pieces such as the genderless red satin trucker jacket that combines Japanese and American clothing traditions. Nigo, Kenzo's artistic director since 2021, incorporated his signature 'Boke Flower' embroidery on the back of the jacket. The 1970-born streetwear and denim specialist, creator of the streetwear label 'A Bathing Ape', drew inspiration from the archives of both brands to develop a collection for men and women, including genderless pieces, from historic Japanese tailoring and classic American workwear in collaboration with Levi's. The Fall 2023 capsule collection includes around twenty garments and accessories made from premium Japanese Kaihara denim and embodies Nigo's 'real-to-wear' approach, based on a synthesis of what is conventionally called formal, casual or street. In an interview with the Financial Times, the designer discussed the evolution of streetwear in relation to his collaborations with Virgil Abloh for Louis Vuitton (article published on https://www.ft.com/content/2ef075c2-4010-417f-a404-456571567731).

The new Kenzo X Levi's® Capsule Collection is presented on the French-Japanese brand's website kenzo.com with a campaign film shot in Kyoto and accompanied by a series of still images. The pieces are co-branded with Levi Strauss & Co. iconography and the Kenzo logo, with motifs such as the traditional Japanese sashiko stitching on a denim blazer inspired by Kenzo Takada's creations, or the reinterpretation of Levi's Bing Crosby tuxedo (more on the tuxedo at https://www.levistrauss.com/2016/07/11/the-canadian-tuxedo-controversy-fashion-faux-pas-or-time-tested-trend/).

Images: Campaign images of the Kenzo X Levi's® Fall 2023 Capsule Collection. The Kenzo x Levi's® East-meets-West philosophy is at the heart of the campaign shot in two traditional sansou mountain villas in Kyoto. Nigo invited Japanese filmmaker Umi Ishihara to capture the collection in moving images that are a mix of documentary and feature film. The filming locations are also the setting for a series of stills shot by Inner Mongolian photographer Ryu Ika. Models of the campaign are Abas Abdirazaq, Hayato, Masato Eun, Peipei, Sen Ping and Shun. The collection was launched worldwide on 4 October 2023.