Hypebeast Comes to High Fashion: Meet Kenzo's New Artistic Director Nigo

Appointed to Artistic Director in Sept. 2021, Nigo took the helm of Kenzo following the passing of its founder Kenzo Takada in 2020 due to complications with COVID-19, and the departure of Felipe Oliviera Baptista in June after two years at the Maison. He came to Kenzo as a streetwear visionary, founding A Bathing Ape, better known as BAPE, in Japan in 1993. Yes, that's right, Nigo had people lining up outside of BAPE, hoping for the chance to own one of the brand' pieces due to its signature camouflage print, before Supreme even existed. 

"I was born in the year that Takada Kenzo san opened his first store in Paris," Nigo stated in the brand's announcement of his hiring. "We both graduated from the same fashion school in Tokyo. In 1993, the year that Kenzo joined the LVMH Group, I started my career in Fashion."

Born in Japan in 1970, Nigo, born Tomoaki Nagao, graduated from Bunka Fashion College in 1993, the same year BAPE was created. Nigo served as the Creative Director of the brand until 2013, following I.T Limited's 2011 acquiring of the brand after buying 90 percent of Nowhere Inc.—BAPE's mother company. He also created the brand Human Made in 2010 and later joined Uniqlo and Creative Director of its UT collection. 

The DJ of the Japanese hip hop group Teriakyi Boyz, Nigo has made a name for himself in the music industry beyond his brands. The group, whose first album Beef or Chicken was produced by Def Jam records and BAPE sounds—Nigo's own production company—featured the likes of Daft Punk and Mark Ronson. Since then, the group has gone on to collaborate with Jay-Z, Kanye West, Pharrell, and even had two tracks featured on the Fast and Furious: Toyko Drift soundtrack—yes it was them who from the title track for Tokyo Drift. 

With a myriad of expertise, Nigo's appointment to Kenzo gives a peek at the direction the brand is headed, especially since its founder serves as one of Nigo's inspirations. 

"Kenzo san’s approach to creating originality was through his understanding of many different cultures," he said. "It is also the essence of my own philosophy of creativity."

Nodding to Kenzo's legacy, Nigo's first runway show, inclusive of men's and women's ready-to-wear, took place in the same Galerie Vivienne in Paris, where the Maison's founder held his innaugural show five decades ago. It was a hype-worthy affair with Kanye West (and his current flame Julia Fox), Pharrell Williams, and Tyler the Creator in attendence, along with fashion industry heavyweights like Rick Owens. The collection captures the merging of East and West that has been central to the brand, translated through Nigo's fluency across artistic mediums. For example. the show soundtrack was a preview of his upcoming album I Know Nigo, featuring other major artists like A$AP Rocky, Kid Cudi, Pharrell Williams, Pusha T, Teriyaki Boyz, Tyler, the Creator and Lil Uzi Vert.