After proving himself to be a streetwear connoisseur at Kenzo, even when he did not have to, Nigo is finally doing fashion for the house his compatriot built

He was on a roll. Or at least at the Kenzo autumn/winter 2024 show. At the now-French brand, he was taking a break from streetwear. Or, at least he appeared to be. Sure, the spirit of the street—attitude and discordant styling—was still there, but this season, designer Nagao Tomoaki, professionally known as Nigo, had done something more—designing and creating fashion items. And, like Kenzo Takada, explored his Japanese sartorial heritage and how they could be worn without looking too ethnic or, a mere Japanese transplant in a world dominated by what is perceived as modern fashion—Western or American. To be certain, some street staples were still there: baseball jackets, for one, but they did not dominate or characterise the co-ed collection. Cultural cross-pollination was at the heart of the looks, and aesthetical mash-ups, including traipsing into what might be borderline White Mountaineering territory, all the while with his goals, set on drawing Paris and Tokyo closer.

There was something discernibly sophisticated in the sum of its parts, less rich-Chinese-kids-trying-to-look-cool of the recent past. The collection was presented at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France on Rue Vivienne, a stone’s throw from the Kenzo HQ , and also where Celine staged their spring/summer 2024 show. While Hedi Slimane projected an extremely youthful vibe in the library, Mr Nigo opted for something that would sing with a more adult audience, especially movie geeks, particularly Star Wars fans. In the show notes, the designer behind Human Made was said to have considered “the introduction of non-Western influences to the domain of Paris fashion, key to his practice. In a cinematic analogy of that transition, Nigo is guided by George Lucas’s use of the samurai films of Akira Kurosawa in the successful creation of the Star Wars universe: an original, complete fantasy culture like no other.” But, there was less fantasy at Kenzo; instead, there was more practicable edginess.

The Force may have been with him, but the references were more oblique, and more Tatooine than, say, the exotic Naboo. There was also a delightful lack of the space age-y, as it was for any clothing worthy of a Jedi. When John Mollo won the Best Costume Design Oscar in 1978, he joked, on stage, that “the costume from Star Wars are really not so much costumes as a bit of plumbing and general automobile engineering.” Mr Nigo had more fascinating fabrics to work with. And, certainly, prints: those weave patterns, or the curlicue karakusa, usually seen on the furoshiki, traditional cloths used for wrapping. Textile aside (and there were considerable few that were truly palatable), it was how they were used that was fetching. Shaped into boxy outerwear, the end results were culturally informed without leaning on obvious ethnic identities. In this smudging of the discernible two sides, a vestige of nostalgic romanticism was also effected, and would appeal to those who love to incorporate a hint of folk costume into their everyday wear.

Although Mr Nigo had often referenced school uniforms for Kenzo for past seasons, he avoided it this time. Even when the show was held in a bibliothèque, he shifted from collegiate casualism (or naval kitsch) to something far much more grown-up, vaguely intellectual. Even the logos, often massive in the past, were largely omitted. Sure, there were Japanese clothing cliches such as the happi coat, but as these were quilted and worn over what might be Gorpcore separates, they had a more urban-outdoor vibe that could be associated with other brands such as White Mountaineering (as we mentioned earlier), or even Nanamica. But the combinations and pairings seemed to work better for the menswear than women’s as Mr Nigo tried to bring about the urban sophisticate for the lasses, bordering on the soigné and clearly missing the exuberance synonymous with Kenzo. They really could look just as good as the guys with what the fellows wore, and so well.

Screen shot: kenzo/YouTube. Photos: Kenzo