TOKION EDITORIAL TEAM “Kenzo” announced on September 15 that it will appoint NIGO as the House’s artistic director. NIGO will replace Felipe Oliveira Batista on September 20th, with his first collection scheduled for release in January next year.
With regard to this announcement, Sidney Toledano, Chairman and CEO of the LVMH Fashion Group and a member of the LVMH Executive Committee, places big hopes on him, saying: “I am very happy to welcome Nigo as the Artistic Director of the Maison KENZO. The arrival of an extremely talented Japanese designer will allow us to write a new page in the history of the House that Takada Kenzo founded. I am convinced that the creativity and innovation of Nigo as well as his attachment to the history of the house will express all the potential of KENZO.”
Regarding his appointment, NIGO highlights the link between himself and the brand and declares his resolution:“I am proud to have been appointed Artistic Director of KENZO. I was born in the year that Takada Kenzo san opened his first store in Paris. We both graduated from Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo. In 1993, the year that KENZO joined the LVMH Group, I started my career in Fashion. Kenzo san’s approach to creating originality was through his understanding of many different cultures. It is also the essence of my own philosophy of creativity. Inheriting Kenzo san’s craftsmanship to create a new KENZO is the greatest challenge of my 30-year career, which I intend to achieve together with the team. Finally I would like to thank Bernard Arnault and Sidney Toledano for giving me this wonderful opportunity.”
