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| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fashion |
| Founded | 1970 |
| Founder | Kenzo Takada |
| Headquarters | , France |
Key people | Nigo (Artistic Director) |
| Parent | LVMH |
| Website | www |
| Footnotes /references [1] | |
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. [2]
Kenzo Takada was born in Japan and moved to Paris in 1964 to start his fashion career. [3] 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. [4] The brand became Kenzo after a fashion show in New York in 1976, as the American market considered 'Jungle Jap' too pejorative. [5]
In 1983, Kenzo started designing men and then kids and home collections in 1987, followed by fragrances in 1988. [5]
In 1993, luxury-products maker LVMH acquired Kenzo from SEBP and Financière Truffaut for about $80 million. [6] 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. [7]
From 1999 until 2003, Gilles Rosier and Roy Krejberg designed the women's and men's lines, respectively. [8]
From 2006 until 2008, over 100 of Kenzo's stores worldwide were refurbished. [9]
From 2008 until 2011, Antonio Marras served as Kenzo's creative director, overseeing the brand in its entirety. [9] [10] By 2011, Kenzo barely broke even, with annual sales estimated at 150 million euros ($197.4 million). [11] [12]
In 2011, Carole Lim and Humberto Leon of Opening Ceremony were appointed co-creative directors. [13] 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. [14]
By 2017, Kenzo built the accessories and shoe business to almost 30 percent of revenues. [15] Lim and Leon exited Kenzo in 2019. [16] 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. [17]
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. [18] In April 2021, Kenzo said it would part ways with Oliveira Baptista by the end of his term in June. [19]
In September 2021, Kenzo appointed Nigo of A Bathing Ape as their new artistic director. [20] [21] [22]
From 2010 to 2018, Kenzo worked with French manufacturer L'Amy on the production and distribution of its eyewear collections. [23]
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). [26] In June 2020, the brand unveiled a new American flagship store in SoHo, Manhattan. [27] [28]
Additionally it has nearly 145 stores worldwide primarily concentrated in Southeast Asia, Japan and Europe. [25]
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. [29] [30] Leon wanted to make a sweatshirt version of the sweater for him to wear. [31] [32] Despite initial resistance from Kenzo's design team, [33] [34] the tiger sweatshirts became extremely popular, with the initial run of sweatshirts selling out within hours at Kenzo's Paris location. [33] Since 2011, the tiger shirt and clothing designed by Leon and Lim [35] [36] 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.[ citation needed ]
In 2016, Kenzo announced its collaboration with H&M. Kenzo X H&M collection was released on November 3, 2016. [37] The fashion house also collaborates with Inglot Cosmetics company, which manufactures make-up products. [38] On March 21, 2018, Kenzo revealed Britney Spears as the face of its new 'La Collection Memento No. 2' campaign. [39] The collaboration, marketed as #KenzoLovesBritney, features a variety of ready-to-wear nostalgic denim pieces for men and women. [40]
Kenzo has been working with several high-profile photographers for its advertisement campaigns, including Jean-Baptiste Mondino (1996–1999), [41] David LaChapelle (2019) [42] and Keizō Kitajima (2024). [43]
For the Fall 2014 collection, Kenzo collaborated with filmmaker David Lynch, who mixed the soundtrack for the show and provided a large sculpture. [44]
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. [45] [46] Also in 2016, Sean Baker ( The Florida Project , Red Rocket ) directed a short film starring model Abbey Lee called Snowbird for Kenzo SS16. [47]
In 2023, Kenzo selected Vernon of South Korean boy band Seventeen as the brand's first global ambassador. [48]
Fendi Srl is an Italian luxury fashion house producing fur, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, fragrances, eyewear, timepieces and accessories. Founded in Rome in 1925 by fashion designers Edoardo Fendi and Adele Casagrande, Fendi is known for its fur, fur accessories, and leather goods. Since 2001, Fendi has been part of the "Fashion & Leather Goods" division of the French group LVMH. Its headquarters are in Rome, in the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana.
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, commonly known as LVMH, is a European multinational holding company and conglomerate that specializes in luxury goods and has its headquarters in Paris, France. The company was formed in 1987 through the merger of fashion house Louis Vuitton with Moët Hennessy, which had been established by the 1971 merger between the champagne producer Moët & Chandon and the cognac producer Hennessy. In April 2023, LVMH became the first European company to surpass a valuation of $500 billion. In 2023, the company was ranked 47th in the Forbes Global 2000.
Chloé is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1952 by Gaby Aghion. In 1953, Aghion joined forces with Jacques Lenoir, formally managing the business side of the brand, allowing Aghion to purely pursue the creative growth of Chloé. Its headquarters are located in Paris.
Loro Piana S.p.A. is an Italian luxury fashion brand specialized in textile manufacturing and ready-to-wear clothing headquartered in Milan, Italy. Since its start as a merchant of cashmere, vicuña, linen and merino fabrics, Loro Piana expanded to design knitwear, leather goods, footwear, fragrance and related accessories. The company has three divisions: textiles, high fashion and luxury goods. Its core branding includes the Loro Piana family signature and coat-of-arms, depicting a European beech tree, a golden eagle, and two diagonal Stars of Italy, framed by flower thistles.
Nicolas Ghesquière is a French-Belgian fashion designer who has been the women's creative director of the house of Louis Vuitton since 2013.
Kenzō Takada was a Japanese–French fashion designer living in France. He founded Kenzo, a worldwide clothing brand, that also markets skin care and perfumes, Takada was the honorary president of the Asian Couture Federation.
Berluti is a French leather maker that manufactures menswear, especially the leather finishing of calfskin, kangaroo leather and alligator skin in its production of shoes and boots. It makes leather belts, bags, and wallets, as well as bespoke and ready-to-wear garments. Established in 1895 by Italian Alessandro Berluti of Marche, Berluti is based in Paris on rue Marbeuf. The brand was bought by LVMH in 1993.
Loewe S.A. is a Spanish luxury fashion house specialising in leather goods, clothing, perfumes and other fashion accessories. Founded in 1846 in Madrid, Loewe is part of LVMH since 1996, and is the oldest luxury fashion house of the holding.
Lanvin is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1889 by Jeanne Lanvin in Paris. It is the oldest French fashion house still in operation. Since 2018, it has been a subsidiary of Shanghai-based Lanvin Group.
Celine is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1945 by fashion designer Céline Vipiana. The headquarters are located at 16 rue Vivienne in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris at the Hôtel Colbert de Torcy, which has French Historic Monument classification.
Felipe Oliveira Baptista is a Portuguese fashion designer. He lives and works in Paris.
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Carol Lim is an American fashion designer, retailer and creative director, who works in partnership with Humberto Leon.
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Humberto Leon is an American fashion designer, retailer and creative director, working in partnership with Carol Lim. He is currently the creative director for the Los Angeles based girl group Katseye, aiding in the group's style, image, branding, and fashion.
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Thebetsile "Thebe" Magugu is a South African fashion designer. Born in Kimberley and based in Johannesburg, he rose to prominence as the winner of the 2019 LVMH Young Fashion Designer Prize, and a finalist in the 2021 International Woolmark Prize. Magugu has released eleven solo collections under his own namesake label since 2017, as well as several capsules in collaboration with international brands such as Dior, Adidas, and AZ Factory.
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