How Kenzo found a preppy, 70s groove at Paris Fashion Week: Nigo’s autumn/winter 2022 menswear collection mixed Scout’s scarves with African vibrancy and Asian crossover styles

Jun 30 , 2022

Nigo designed the Kenzo menswear autumn/winter 2022 collection, which was unveiled at Paris Fashion Week on June 26. Photo: AFP

Jaden Smith, Cruz Beckham, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel all turned out to the artistic director’s second show for the notoriously kooky, colourful French brand

As the fashion world wrestles with questions over identity, Nigo remains only the second Asian designer to head a European high fashion label alongside Bally’s Rhuigi Villaseñor

Kenzo artistic director Nigo found a groove with his second collection for the LVMH-owned house, drawing vibrant parallels with house founder Kenzo Takada.

Nigo has made history as the first Japanese designer to front the house since Takada, who died in 2020.

A distinctly preppy look from Kenzo’s menswear autumn winter 2022 show, presented at Paris Fashion Week on June 26. Photo: AFP

David and Victoria Beckham’s son Cruz Beckham, US actor Jaden Smith, and celebrity couple Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel at the Kenzo Paris Fashion Week show. Photo: AFP

But beyond the fashion, Nigo – who has made high profile collaborations with Pharrell – has real star attraction, once again pulling in top VIPs this season such as Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel.

Kenzo artistic director Nigo presents his second show for the brand at Paris Fashion Week, for the menswear autumn/winter 2022 collection. Photo: AFP

Set in a college hall and with a pervading 70s, preppy vibe, Nigo channelled the dazzling colours and mix-and-match cultural fusion that became synonymous with the house’s origins.

Kenzo artistic director Nigo presents his second show for the brand at Paris Fashion Week, for the menswear autumn/winter 2022 collection. Photo: Xinhua

A model presents a creation for Kenzo by Japanese fashion designer Tomoaki Nagao aka Nigo at Paris Fashion Week. Photo: AFP

Hanging from the roof were flags reading “Kenzo 1970”. For students of fashion, a reference not lost: this date was not only the year Takada presented his first fashion show in the Galerie Vivienne in Paris in front of his new shop, Jungle Jap, but it was also the year of Nigo’s birth.