Artistic Director Nigo returns Kenzo back home. By that, to Kenzo Takada’s original Japanese-style home in the Bastille district of Paris. Nigo’s intentions were not necessarily a matter of nostalgia-bait nor a ‘return to form’, but rather using this season to position the house back to their roots. “We are going back home. Back to the beginning,” Nigo claims in his press release. When you think of “home,” you might expect Kenzo at its loudest: bold prints, the familiar ‘Jungle Jap’ aesthetic, and a riot of colour that defined Takada’s work throughout the 80s and 90s. There was this playfulness to his work that was reflective of the times, the bright, exuberant, no frills era of the pre-2000s when splashes of vivid Pantone colors on clothes, accessories, and products alike felt more natural to the average consumer.

Unlike his Japanese-French contemporaries of the time — like Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto, who pursued more abstract and intellectual approaches to fashion, Kenzo Takada focused on the process of making wearable, stylish, everyday clothing for both men and women.

That’s the angle Nigo is aiming for this season: clothes for everyday life, designed for everyone. This doesn’t mean they’re boring — despite what first impressions of this collection might suggest. This collection is far more nuanced, shaped with a great deal of introspection.

Kenzo is ultimately a result of three main overarching forces: Japan, Western Europe, and America. Nigo’s background as an Americana-obsessed teen in the early Heisei era of the 90s does the house wonders, as his point of references are always precise and prim. Collegiate themes run through the collection, from varsity knits and college “K” logo sweaters to cardigans and letterman jackets, all rendered in bold red and yellow hues.

Then the Americana influences take a step further. The western, or “cowboy” shirt is reinterpreted in a variety of patterns, and cuts, including one version elongated to the length of a mini dress. The bold prints that Kenzo is known for is toned down — but not in a manner of grayscaling the prints but showing up in darker, maturer shades. Ditto for the checkerboard and two-toned knits. When you combine it all together, you formulate a new Kenzo man and woman that feels like a readied concoction of the brand’s early history.

To Kenzo, home is not just where you were born, but where you also thrive in. “East meets West” is the core design philosophy of the house, something that would compromise its identity if it leaned too far in either direction. Striking the balance is key, and Kenzo must get it right every single time. The symbiotic relationship that the house has between the two countries is also why Kenzo returns to the Takada’s original  residence. It serves as a reminder that the path forward often begins by looking back to the very beginning. American military workwear is designed with Japanese sensibilities. A kimono silhouettes with tailoring, and looks that were took direct inspirations from the archive.

“East meets West” is Kenzo’s pillar of stability. But it never exists in a vacuum. When the house first began, this philosophy relied heavily on the mystique of Japan of the 20th Century. Cellphones and the internet did not exist, and news traveled only through official channels. Kenzo was among the first to participate in a genuine contemporary cultural exchange between Europe and East Asia — a far more democratic and immediate way to share perspectives than hearing a European man’s interpretation of the East. It was honest. Kenzo’s outreach to Europe was driven by earnestness and fascination.

That is why Nigo’s appointment felt so special, not just to fashion enthusiasts and loyalists but for everyone. He has been passed the torch in this ongoing expedition of cultural outreach. The matter is, the times have changed, and our accessibility to cultures have exceeded beyond our traditional institutions. The allure of Japan is not how much we don’t know of it, but how much we know and love about it. Nigo’s move back to “basics” is an important one — he’s finding the footing that Kenzo really needs at the moment. So, while this season feels like a much needed pause, it begs the question: what can we expect next?

Once you are done with this story, click here to catch up with our December/January 2026 issue.