Kenzo FW23: a dialogue between tradition and the underground

For the KENZO Autumn-Winter 2023 campaign, artistic director Nigo invites the brand’s community to enter his personal universe in a portrait of the Japan that has shaped him.

Kenzo’s FW23 campaign celebrates the cross-cultural conversation of Nigo’s hometown and the Maison’s origins through a multifaceted juxtaposition of Kyoto and Osaka. In doing so, it brings East and West together in a series of locations that reflect the different identities: the hustle and bustle of Osaka, with its vivid street culture and underground energy; and the historic surroundings of Kyoto. The campaign was captured by photographer Keizo Kitajima and videographer Frank Lebon.

In the campaign, the frame is extended to a study of the current scenes of the two Japanese cities. It manifests itself in a portrait of contemporary self-expression in Japan and beyond: a stylistic suspension between traditional and modern dress constructions, and a fusion of Eastern and Western aesthetic elements. The campaign features KENZO’s new brand ambassador Vernom, a member of Seventeen, as well as a cameo by Nigo himself.

The fashion film includes an appearance of Nigo playing a game of shogi in Kyoto’s Shosei-en, dressed in the iconic Dazzle, inspired by Kenzo Takada’s archives from the 1980s. The Osaka part of the campaign was shot at Jan Jan Yokocho, New Star Game Centre, Tai Yoshi Hyakuban, Universe Yokocho, Shinsekai, Amerikamura Mitsutera Kaikan, Kinryu Ramen and Namba Bears. Kyoto features the Daikakuji Bamboo Forest, Kamo River, Seiryuden and Shosei-en.