Kenzo S.A. (stylized as KENZO PARIS) is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1970 by Japanese designer Kenzo Takada and owned by parent company LVMH.[5]
History
Kenzo Takada, 1970–1998
Kenzo Takada was born in Japan and moved to Paris in 1964 to start his fashion career.[6] He then became known for using Asian influenced style with the construction of European fashion. He started with a 'Jungle Jap' boutique located at Galerie Vivienne and decorated in jungle inspired interior. He began with handmade women's clothing; reportedly, he made his first collection with $200 worth of fabrics bought at a large discount house in Montmartre.[7] The brand became Kenzo after a fashion show in New York in 1976, as the American market considered 'Jungle Jap' too pejorative.[8]
In 1983, Kenzo started designing men and then kids and home collections in 1987, followed by fragrances in 1988.[8]
In 1990, following the death of his life partner, Xavier, and a stroke suffered by his business partner, Takada decided to sell the company.
In 1993, luxury-products maker LVMH acquired Kenzo from SEBP and Financière Truffaut for about $80 million.[9] From 1995, Kenzo also produced Kenzo Studio, a line was produced through a licensing agreement with the Bonaventure Group. While Kenzo developed the line's fashion direction, Studio was sold only in the U.S. and Kenzo retail stores in China.[10]
Kenzo Takada stayed at the label for a few years and retired from fashion in 1999 at the age of 60.[11]
Later years
From 1999 until 2003, Gilles Rosier and Roy Krejberg designed the women's and men's lines, respectively.[12]
From 2006 until 2008, over 100 of Kenzo's stores worldwide were refurbished.[13]
From 2008 until 2011, Antonio Marras served as Kenzo's creative director, overseeing the brand in its entirety.[13][14] By 2011, Kenzo barely broke even, with annual sales estimated at 150 million euros ($197.4 million).[15][16]
In 2011, Carole Lim and Humberto Leon of Opening Ceremony were appointed co-creative directors.[17] The pair was credited with revitalizing the Kenzo brand and making it appeal to a younger customer, as well as re-defining and expanding the role of a fashion creative director to encompass all elements of creative work at a brand, not just designing the garments.[18]
By 2017, Kenzo built the accessories and shoe business to almost 30 percent of revenues.[19] Lim and Leon exited Kenzo in 2019.[20] Also in 2019, Kenzo ended its distribution agreement with I.T to take back control of its 35 stores in China via a joint venture with the same partner.[21]
Under the creative direction of Felipe Oliveira Baptista from 2019 to 2021, Kenzo launched a line of men's and women's sportswear, titled Kenzo Sport.[22] In April 2021, Kenzo said it would part ways with Oliveira Baptista by the end of his term in June.[23]
In September 2021, Kenzo appointed Nigo (formerly A Bathing Ape) as their new artistic director.[24][25][26]
Other activities
From 2010 to 2018, Kenzo worked with French manufacturer L'Amy on the production and distribution of its eyewear collections.[27]
Locations
Kenzo has expanded rapidly in the time since its first American store has opened, as of June 2021 it now operates 6 locations in the US:
In the early 2000s, Kenzo pulled out of the American market, closing its flagship stores in Los Angeles (2002) and New York (2003).[30] In June 2020, the brand unveiled a new American flagship store in SoHo, Manhattan.[31][32]
Additionally it has nearly 145 stores worldwide primarily concentrated in Southeast Asia, Japan and Europe.[29]
Role in popular culture
The character Kenzo Harper in the BBC sitcom My Family is named after the fashion brand. In 2012, designers Humberto Leon and Carol Lim unveiled a knitted sweater with a tiger graphic on it for Kenzo's Fall 2012 collection.[33][34] Leon wanted to make a sweatshirt version of the sweater for him to wear.[35][36] Despite initial resistance from Kenzo's design team,[37][38] the tiger sweatshirts became extremely popular, with the initial run of sweatshirts selling out within hours at Kenzo's Paris location.[37] Since 2011, the tiger shirt and clothing designed by Leon and Lim[39][40] has been worn by celebrities and fashion bloggers including Jay Z, Kevin Hart, Beyoncé, Zooey Deschanel, Swizz Beatz, Selena Gomez, Spike Jonze, Joan Smalls, Lorde, NorthernSound and Rihanna.
Collaborations
In 2016, Kenzo announced its collaboration with H&M. Kenzo X H&M collection was released on November 3, 2016.[41] The fashion house also collaborates with Inglot Cosmetics company, which manufactures make-up products.[42] On March 21, 2018, Kenzo revealed Britney Spears as the face of its new 'La Collection Memento No. 2' campaign.[43] The collaboration, marketed as #KenzoLovesBritney, features a variety of ready-to-wear nostalgic denim pieces for men and women.[44]
Campaigns
Kenzo has been working with several high-profile photographers for its advertisement campaigns, including Jean-Baptiste Mondino (1996–1999),[45] David LaChapelle (2019),[46] Keizō Kitajima (2024)[47] and Bruce Gilden (2025).[48]
For the Fall 2014 collection, Kenzo collaborated with filmmaker David Lynch, who mixed the soundtrack for the show and provided a large sculpture.[49]
For the Fall and Winter 2016 collection, Kenzo produced the campaign film The Realest Real starring Laura Harrier, Mahershala Ali, Natasha Lyonne, and Rowan Blanchard, and directed by Carrie Brownstein.[50][51] Also in 2016, Sean Baker (The Florida Project, Red Rocket) directed a short film starring model Abbey Lee called Snowbird for Kenzo SS16.[52]
In 2023, Kenzo selected Vernon, a member of South Korean boy band Seventeen, as the brand's first global ambassador.[53]
Designers
External links
References
- Kenzo LVMH, 2026-04-06, retrieved 2026-04-06^
- Kenzo LVMH, 2026-04-06, retrieved 2026-04-06^
- Kenzo LVMH, 2026-04-06, retrieved 2026-04-06^
- KENZO SA: Private Company Information - Businessweek Businessweek.com, retrieved September 12, 2013^
- Kenzo The Cut^
- Kenzo Takada British Vogue, March 26, 2012, retrieved February 25, 2022^
- Hebe Dorsey (November 14, 1976), Fashion: Kenzo Grows Up New York Times.^
- Grace Cook (February 1, 2019), Kenzo Takada — the journey from ‘Jungle Jap’ to Kenzo Financial Times.^
- LVMH buys Kenzo apparel maker United Press International, August 2, 1993.^
- Janet Ozzard (September 18, 1995), Kenzo Store Aims To Build U.S. Presence Women's Wear Daily.^
- Kenzo Takada: Japanese designer dies after catching Covid-19 2020-10-04, retrieved 2025-06-30^
- Suzy Menkes (September 18, 1995), Gilles Rosier: On to Kenzo International Herald Tribune.^
- Jessica Bumpus (December 8, 2008), The Marras Touch Vogue.^
- Opening Ceremony’s Humberto Leon and Carol Lim Are the New Creative Directors of Kenzo The Cut Magazine, 2011, retrieved October 29, 2025^
- Matthieu Protard and Astrid Wendlandt (May 21, 2010), LVMH says has no plans to sell Kenzo Reuters.^
- Pascale Denis (January 5, 2011), LVMH names new head of Kenzo Reuters.^
- Joyann King. Humberto Leon and Carol Lim Appointed Creative Directors at Kenzo Harper's BAZAAR, 2011-07-12, retrieved 2023-11-09^
- Rebecca Suhrawardi. Kenzo: How Carol Lim and Humberto Leon Are Setting The Mark for LVMH Brands Forbes, March 29, 2018, retrieved 2023-11-09^
- Kenzo Plots Global Expansion Under New CEO Women's Wear Daily, September 9, 2017.^
- Tyler McCall. Carol Lim and Humberto Leon Exit Kenzo After 8 Years Fashionista, June 14, 2019, retrieved 2023-11-09^
- Joelle Diderich (June 14, 2019), EXCLUSIVE: Kenzo Parts Ways With Creative Directors Humberto Leon and Carol Lim Women's Wear Daily.^
- Emily Mercer (August 28, 2020), Exclusive: Kenzo Introduces Kenzo Sport Line Women's Wear Daily.^
- Miles Socha (April 26, 2021), Kenzo to Bid Adieu to Felipe Oliveira Baptista Women's Wear Daily.^
- Miles Socha (September 15, 2021), Exclusive: Kenzo Picks Streetwear Guru Nigo as Its Next Designer Women's Wear Daily.^
- Vanity Teen. Paris Fashion Week Men FW22 Day 6: Kenzo, Wales Bonner, Sacai Vanity Teen 虚荣青年 Lifestyle & New Faces Magazine www.vanityteen.com, January 23, 2022, retrieved February 25, 2022^
- Jessica Testa. A Hypebeast Comes to the Luxury House The New York Times, September 15, 2021, retrieved February 25, 2022^
- Katya Foreman (14 September 2018), Kenzo and L’Amy Group End Eyewear Partnership Women's Wear Daily.^
- News - About The Brand | KENZO www.kenzo.com^
- Kenzo Stores | Kenzo.com | KENZO www.kenzo.com^
- Miles Socha (1 March 2004), Turning a New Leaf at Kenzo Women's Wear Daily.^
- Roxanne Robinson. Kenzo's New Soho Flagship: A Muted Opening In A Still-Recovering New York City Forbes, June 26, 2020, retrieved July 1, 2020^
- Danielle Wightman-Stone. Kenzo unveils first boutique designed by Felipe Oliveira Baptista fashionunited.uk, June 30, 2020, retrieved July 1, 2020^
- Rachel Tashjian. A Requiem for the Kenzo Tiger Sweater GQ, June 14, 2019, retrieved June 29, 2020^
- Jessica Bumpus. Kenzo Autumn/Winter 2012 Ready-To-Wear British Vogue, March 4, 2012, retrieved June 29, 2020^
- Laurel Pinson. Anatomy of a Fad: How Kenzo's Tiger Sweater Sold Out in Two Days StyleCaster, November 21, 2012, retrieved June 29, 2020^
- Ella Alexander. How Long Would You Wait For A Kenzo Tiger Jumper? British Vogue, September 11, 2013, retrieved June 29, 2020^
- Naomi Mdudu. Kenzo: It began with a simple sweater… Metro, March 11, 2014, retrieved June 29, 2020^
- Christopher Bagley. Humberto Leon and Carol Lim Talk Style With Takada Kenzo W Magazine, March 19, 2015, retrieved June 29, 2020^
- Kenzo in Dubai Mall of the Emirates, retrieved July 21, 2019^
- About : Opening Ceremony Opening Ceremony, retrieved July 21, 2019^
- Nanna Bachmand Jensen. Kenzo X H&M Ikon London Magazine, June 12, 2016, retrieved July 21, 2019^
- About Inglot inglotcosmetics.com, retrieved July 21, 2019^
- Brooke Bobb. Britney Spears On Her Kenzo Campaign And How She Defines Mum Fashion British Vogue, March 20, 2018, retrieved July 21, 2019^
- Erin Jensen. Kenzo is getting a 'Piece of' Britney Spears, the face of its La Collection Memento No. 2 USA Today, March 20, 2018, retrieved July 21, 2019^
- Samantha Conti, Katherine Weisman, Melissa Drier and James Fallon (7 August 1996), Harbingers of Spring Women's Wear Daily.^
- Jean E. Palmieri (7 January 2019), Kenzo Taps David LaChapelle to Shoot Spring Campaign Women's Wear Daily.^
- Miles Socha (19 February 2024), EXCLUSIVE: Nigo Picks Iconic Paris Spots for Kenzo’s Latest Campaign Women's Wear Daily.^
- Miles Socha (1 September 2025), EXCLUSIVE: Kenzo Hired a Street Photographer for Latest Campaign Women's Wear Daily.^
- Nicole Phelps. Fall 2014 Ready-to-Wear: Kenzo Style.com, March 2, 2014, retrieved July 21, 2019^
- The Realest Real - Autumn Winter 2016 Collection Kenzo, November 7, 2016, retrieved April 18, 2020^
- Ashley W. Simpson. Kenzo Premieres Their Latest Campaign Film, The Realest Real Vogue, September 14, 2016, retrieved April 18, 2020^
- Indie Film Hustle. Sean Baker's iPhone Short Film: Snowbird - Indie Film Hustle Indie Film Hustle®, December 7, 2021, retrieved December 10, 2021^
- SEVENTEEN's Vernon is Kenzo's first global brand ambassador NME, June 23, 2023, retrieved 23 June 2023^
- Arnaud Klein, Marie Courtois. Felipe Oliveira Baptista quitte la direction artistique de Kenzo Vogue, July 1, 2019, retrieved September 28, 2022^