KENZO: Spring-Summer 2025 Women's & Men's Collection

KENZOLOGY: The study of an evolutionary wardrobe cultivated from the bridge-building perspective of a Japanese designer in Paris. The KENZO Spring-Summer 2025 Women’s and Men’s Collection reinforces and refines the culturally interwoven language developed by Nigo at the Maison. Staged on the golden soil of the Palais-Royal – a location dear to the heart of the Artistic Director – it is a natural fluorescence of the cross-pollination found at the core of KENZO: a stylistic ecosystem nurtured by Nigo’s creative exchange with the archives of Kenzo Takada, the dress codes of their shared Japanese heritage, and the Parisian spirit of the Maison. Cultured by time, the expression unfolds in silhouettes, constructions, and techniques that become entirely their own, rendered in the vibrant colours of origami paper across re-imagined adaptations of archival motifs. In his second creative exchange with KENZO, the Japanese graphic artist Verdy – a long-time friend of Nigo – applies his animated signature to the Maison’s iconography. The show’s soundtrack was produced by WhoJiggi with additional co-production by Ero, Jaystolaa and Sekai.

Silhouettes 

The women’s silhouette cuts a relaxed line in garments sophisticated in construction but effortless in practice. Reinvigorating archival ideas, draped scarf dresses with fringing are interpreted in casual fabrications alongside contrast-colour wrap dresses, skirts and tops adapted from the obi, and over-dimensional skirts nipped at the waist. Inspired in cut by hanjuban – kimono undergarments – denim increases in sensuality, while outerwear imbued with kimono sleeves exudes an elegance likewise expressed in elongated crocheted evening dresses. Menswear approaches everyday archetypal garments with an East-West sensibility in sporty outerwear infused with oriental lines, relaxed four-button tailoring, silhouettes derived from the fisherman’s wardrobe, and baggy satin trousers informed by the tobi-shoku worn by Japanese scaffolders. 

Themes and motifs

A vivid KENZO Peonies pattern reimagines an archive print of Kenzo Takada’s favourite flower in faded fluo colourways alongside a delicate KENZO Jungle Flower motif. Inspired by traditional ink-wash paintings from the archive, a KENZO Paris Jungle landscape pictures the French capital overtaken by nature, with the Eiffel Tower surrounded by dragonflies and tigers. A KENZO Chiku-rin Camo is created in the image of Japanese bamboo forests in purple, green, and lime nuances. The KENZO Weave pattern informed by Hikeshi Baten fireman’s jackets evolves in tonal grey and blue. Dragonflies – an ancient Japanese symbol of the refusal to retreat in the face of adversity – appear throughout the collection. Portrayed through the spirited lens of the Japanese graphic artist Verdy, the emblems of KENZO – the tiger, the elephant, the boke – feature in ready-to-wear and bags. 

Materials and techniques 

Emblematic KENZO graphics created by Verdy are brought to life with heightened sa-voir-faire as tapestry jacquard on jackets, line embroidery on denim workwear, chain-stitch on varsity jackets, and in sequins and bead motifs on workwear. KENZO Peonies are in-terpreted in jacquards, heat-imprinted nylon cloqué in coats, laser-burning on overdyed denim, and trippy warp prints on nylon. KENZO Jungle Flowers appear as prints on mesh, crinkled polyester, fluid viscose, and cotton linen. The KENZO Paris Jungle scene is realised in superfine loop-back embroidery on crêpe wool dresses and in intarsia knitwear. The KENZO Chiku-rin Camo comes to life as prints on satin workwear, technical nylon outerwear, and linen denim as well as tailoring jacquards and in tonal form on kimono-inspired workwear. The KENZO Weave materialises in tailoring wool jacquards, bleached denim, and prints on nylon. Fishing garments are adorned with hand-netting while hand-crocheted vests and hoodies are festooned with chunky floral glass hand-beading. Leather and suede appear faded as if blanched by the sun. 

Bags 

Founded in Japanese tradition and the Maison’s archives, the season’s bag proposal spans fishing bags crafted in cotton drill and overlaid with hand-netting executed in shopper, crossbody, and evening bag dimensions in yellow, red, khaki, and black. A modernised version of a traditional Edo-period knapsack, a backpack features a ruched top closure that fastens with its own shoulder straps. Inspired by furoshiki folding, the 25 bag appears in crackled leather echoing the sun-blanched skins of the ready-to-wear. KENZO Market bags bring to life the Maison’s emblematic characters in three-dimensional fluffy form.

Shoes 

Evolving the Maison’s emblematic trai-ner, the KENZO-Pace II sneaker is a super lightweight runner in speed-lined stabilised mesh with drawstring lacing proposed in red and white, navy, black, or white. Women’s mules are crafted with soft patent leather mesh uppers rendered in the vibrant prints of the collection. Loafers with collapsible heels inspired by Japanese fisherman’s shoes are structured in soft leather with uppers interwoven in three-dimensional takes on the KENZO Weave. With further nods to coastal life, a boat shoe hybridises with a desert boot manifested in a canvas upper engulfed by a rubber sole.

Jojo 

The collection features two sandals conceived through a creative dialogue with the heritage artisan Gion Naito from Kyoto, who has manufactured the characteristic zori silhouette for over a century. Embedded in Japanese culture, the casual version of sandal – known as the Jojo – converts the formal shoe traditionally worn with the kimono into a contemporary wardrobe staple. Crafted with cork maetsubo centre straps and rubber thongs on rubber-coated cork soles, a classic low Jojo is wide and voluminous in shape while a narrower Jojo is raised on an elevated sole evoking the geta. 

Accessories 

Saluting the hat often worn by Nigo himself, slightly magnified military caps are em-blazoned with the patterns of the collection. They are joined by double-visor baseball caps and sports caps with expanded visors riffing on sunhats. Sunglasses materialise as minimised Windsor glass silhouettes as well as aviators with superimposed lenses. The KENZO characters and symbols animated by Verdy appear on small leather goods and in jewellery including metal badges and brooches, as well as charm bracelets. The boke flower is forged in adjustable metal necklaces and cufflinks that can also be worn as buttons.

Production by
Back of the House

Show music produced by
WhoJiggi, additional co-production
from Ero, Jaystolaa, and Sekai

Content production by
Kitten

Styling by
IB Kamara

Casting by
Mischa Notcutt for 11 casting

Makeup by
Lucy Bridge
and the Make Up For Ever team

Hair by
Virginie Moreira
& the Jean Louis David team using ghd tools

Nails by
Ama Quashie

ABOUT KENZO

To prepare for the future, we look to the past. As a new reality manifests at KENZO, Artistic Director Nigo reconnects with the values entrenched in the early beginnings of the House: designer fashion created for real life, imbued with the playful urbanity of Kenzo Takada’s timeless legacy. A creative exchange, KENZO becomes an evolving dialogue between the pop culture of the founder’s heritage and the street culture beloved by Nigo. Through Nigo’s instinct for contemporary design, a new vision takes shape at KENZO: ‘real-to-wear’, a genuine wardrobe founded in the authentic desires of the post-digital mindset. It is a realistic approach to fashion, which transcends the conventional labels of ‘formal’, ‘casual’, or ‘street’ in favor of the combinations that make up real wardrobes today. A series of encounters take place: the everlasting codes of KENZO are considered through an instant lens, the ‘Jungle’ fashion of its founder is distilled into succinctly covetable items and a new sense of exclusivity heightens the universal appeal key to the House’s history. In the encounter between the founder and the heir, the core of KENZO is amplified: unconventional fashion for the future, rooted in the permanence of its past.

In the Philippines, Kenzo is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc., located at Greenbelt 3. Visit www.ssilife.com.ph or follow @ssilifeph on Instagram for more information. 

About SSI Group, Inc.:

The SSI Group is the Philippines’ largest specialty retailer, with an established brand portfolio that includes some of the world’s most recognized international brands. We lead the country’s specialty retail market through the size and breadth of our brand portfolio and store network, with 94 brands and 593 stores. With our growing e-commerce presence, we are also the Philippine specialty retailer with the most diverse and extensive e-commerce offering. Our unique brand portfolio covers a wide range of specialty and lifestyle concepts, spanning the luxury, casual, and fast fashion, beauty, footwear, home, and restaurant categories.  Established in the 1980s, SSI has been at the forefront of the Philippine retail industry for more than 30 years. Throughout this time, we have sought to inspire and enhance the lifestyle values of our customers and to cater to the evolving tastes and aspirations of Filipino consumers. In response to the evolution of the retail industry, the company introduced "The Specialist," an At Home concierge service dedicated to serving its valued customers with their shopping needs. Customers may get in touch with SSI’s Customer Service team through any of the following channels to inquire about a particular brand or product:

SSI GROUP CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM

Email: customerservice@ssigroup.com.ph
Telephone Number: 8-830-5000
Mobile Number: (0917) 552 9359
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