CITY POP PARIS – a fusion of East and West in a ready-to-wear wardrobe. The KENZO Spring-Summer 2024 Women’s and Men’s Collection, presented during the recently finished Paris Fashion Week, brings together the Maison’s established codes under the artistic direction of Nigo, presenting a new generational elegance.
SPRING SUMMER 2024 COLLECTIONS
Showcased on the Passerelle Debilly, the footbridge connecting the Palais de Tokyo with the Eiffel Tower over the River Seine, the collection bridges the legacy of Kenzo Takada with Nigo’s contemporary vision, drawing inspiration from the memory of City Pop. This genre, which served as the soundtrack of the designer’s teenage years in 1980s’ Japan, encompassed a vibrant mix of pop, funk, and boogie, which subtly infuses the spirit of the collection.
The collection plays with the fusion of Japanese and Western wardrobes, featuring recontextualizations and adaptations of traditional elements. The judo uwagi transforms into a chore jacket, while the seigaiha, an ancient wave print, takes on a new form in indigo.
The women’s silhouettes exude an intensified elegance, achieved through lightweight layering of translucent fabrics adorned with refreshed archival motifs. Collaborating with Japanese graphic artist Verdy, a longtime friend of Nigo, the KENZO logo is reimagined in Verdy’s signature swashed font, prominently displayed across garments and accessories.
City Pop marked a period of exuberance in post-war Japan, coinciding with memorable moments in Kenzo Takada’s career. For Nigo, the global reevaluation of this genre by younger generations, detached from its original time and culture, serves as a powerful analogy for the contemporary relevance of the KENZO legacy.
The show’s soundtrack, created by Cornelius, a contemporary artist and occasional collaborator of Nigo since the mid-1990s, reflects their shared appreciation of City Pop, further enhancing the collection’s connection to the genre.
