Kenzo Takada Lives On in Eponymous House's Fall/Winter 2021 Collection
Felipe Oliveira Baptista's seasonal scene was set up to pay tribute to the founder; Kenzo's spirit and breath continued to exist even though he was no longer present.
How do you turn grief into something positive and happy? That was the question for Felipe Oliveira Baptista, the relatively-new artistic director of Kenzo.
With the passing of founder Kenzo Takada still fresh, the younger designer began the Fall/Winter 2021 season with only one idea: to succeed his legacy.
Baptista, who previously worked at Lacoste, Baptista, Max Mara, Christophe Lemaire, and Cerruti, went through the house's archives, zeroing in specifically on its founder's performances between 1978 to 1985. Suddenly the Portugese designer discovered something completely new—what if clothes could become one fluid motion? Natural and easy; sexy and joyful with emotion.
Landscape paintings with hydrangeas, roses, pansy flowers, tulips among birds, long chains and cool, bold cocktails all blended into Baptista's colorful party. The scene was set up to pay tribute to the founder; Kenzo's spirit and breath continued to exist even though he was no longer present.
In his just-debuted Fall/Winter 2021 collection, Baptista creates new designs based on Kenzo's most memorable fashion moments with a balance between masterful engineering, sustainable materials, and sporty spirit. Bringing simplicity and modernity to the the familiar lines of its predecessor, the designer has created street fashion style for the 21st century house.
Explaining the soft patterns in thick, clothes-like protective gear Baptista said: “It represents the duality of being ready to face the world again, knowing that you are protected. Safe under noisy but beautiful layers of clothing." Extremely comfortable in a solid form provides a strong sense of reality.
Although limited in the home and workplace, people still constantly travel in mind. Creativity offers the cure, and Baptista enables a new world.
