KENZO FW21 COLLECTION
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Kenzo Takada passed away on October the 4th 2020. The news was abrupt, sudden and unexpected. Immediately the internet was inundated with tributes, messages, photos and videos of Kenzo himself, his work and life. Our acquaintance was brief, nevertheless it felt like I lost someone close to me. The following Monday I was back at work, still numb from the recent shock. Time to start working on the next collection. Where to start? How to transform the grieving into something positive, joyful, free? I knew only one thing. I did not want it to be a tribute, but rather a celebration. A celebration of the man, his work and incredible vision. Nothing new could come out of just a polite and reverential look back at Kenzo’s amazing legacy. Space must be allowed for intuition, instinct, surprises, and accidents. Nothing new can be achieved without these. I have started by watching all of the (recently restored) videos of Kenzo’s shows from 1978 until 1985. Although I already knew all the clothes and collections from the archives, photos, drawings, magazines…. To see all these great garments in movement opened a new perspective into Kenzo’s world. Suddenly his vocabulary gained a whole new palette of colours. Here, models strolled and wondered in a state of vibrant jubilation, grace and cheekiness. Everything www.theciin.com
