Kenzo’s SS26 collection is a celebration of romance, rebellion, and reimagined cultural memories. Dubbed CLUB KENZO, the show brings together the creative energies of three seminal spaces: Andy Warhol’s Factory, Kenzo Takada’s 1970s Paris atelier, and the community orbiting around NIGO himself. These influences unfold in a mashup of subcultures—punk, graffiti, retro graphics, and archival Kenzo prints—all remixed with the precision of Italian tailoring and a sense of spirited irreverence.

Set in the iconic Parisian restaurant Maxim’s, the collection embraces the spontaneous glamour of a summer night out. The Kenzo Guy and Kenzo Girl dress seriously for the occasion, yet wear their clothes with playful ease. Their shared wardrobe becomes a site of transformation and mutual influence—blurring the lines between masculine, feminine, and everything in between. Cartoon motifs riff on unlikely love stories, including an ongoing romance between a tiger and a rabbit, a visual metaphor for the collection’s whimsical contradictions.

Tailoring serves as a creative anchor throughout. A hot pink dinner jacket, lined with a new custom monogram, redefines formalwear as bold daywear. Japanese eveningwear is reinvented in luxe satin. Punk-tinged colors electrify military and workwear silhouettes, brought to life with mother-of-pearl buttons and unexpected touches like bright faux fur on naval smocks. Signature Kenzo shapes—rounded pants, asymmetrical chef shirts—channel the spirit of founder Kenzo Takada with contemporary flair.

Accessories dial up the surreal. Mules from the previous season reappear in street-ready men’s versions. Bowling shoes feature platforms and even snow globes embedded in the heels. Statement belts emblazoned with humorous phrases speak to NIGO’s love of pop iconography, while bags are distressed, patched, and spray-painted as an ode to vintage culture. The New Era collaboration also returns with a new 59FIFTY fit cap capsule.

Motifs from the archives—like rose prints worn by Takada himself—are reinterpreted with psychedelic flair. Clashing patterns, airbrush effects, and studded textures evoke punk DIY culture. Ivy League graphics are collaged into visual noise. Characters from Kenzo’s AW25 women’s collection reappear: the rabbit Kali, the tiger Quique, and their hybrid offspring Mimi, Jojo, and Zaza.

Underscoring the entire experience is a soundtrack by Hiroshi Fujiwara, whose music ties the collection’s cultural patchwork together with emotional depth and understated cool. Club Kenzo is more than a show—it’s a declaration that anything goes, and if you’re here, you’re already on the guest list.