Kenzo Men S/S 13

It was a long trek to the Institut National du Judo on the southern end of Paris for Kenzo‘s Spring 2013 show, but well worth the journey, as Opening Cermony founders Humberto Leon and Carol Lim took another major step forward with their revival of the legendary Parisian fashion house. Taking inspiration from the famous Jungle Jap store opened by Kenzo Takada in the French capital in 1970, Leon and Lim presented a collection that riffed on animal themes, with abstract leopard prints, embroidered tigers, and beaded river fish as motifs—and a soundtrack of beastly howls and snarls. The show opened with a parkour presentation, the athletes leaping off the balconies and somersaulting across the bright yellow platforms on which the models would later arrange themselves. There were looser cuts to the sporty clothes, which came in hues of brown, mustard, and a dusty jungle green, sometimes with the Kenzo logo plastered across the chest. There was an almost utilitarian feel to many of the pieces, and you could almost imagine some of them surviving the elements on an expedition through the rainforest. The cheekily updated “Kenzo camouflage,” however, which came in rich jewel tones, won’t help you blend into your surroundings no matter where you find yourself. It was a triumphant success for Leon and Lim, a reinterpretation of Kenzo’s heritage that has the same fresh and modern feel that has made Opening Ceremony so popular among those seeking progress and innovation.

Casting by Angus Munro for AM Casting

Text by Jonathan Shia
Photos by Dirk Alexander / models.com

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