Kenzo at Paris Fashion Week Men's S/S 2019

Kenzo S/S 2019. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans

(Image credit: Jason Lloyd-Evans)

last updated 17 July 2022

Mood board: In the early 1970s when Kenzo Takada started making clothes, he did so with materials bought from flea markets. He was forced to mix different patterned and coloured fabrics together in one garment by way of necessity – it went on to become a signature style. The label which since 2011 has been under the creative direction of Humberto Leon and Carol Lim is known for its prints, patterns and playfulness. ‘Throughout our time at Kenzo, it’s always been our prerogative to bring together the varying tribes and subcultures we come across throughout our every day,’ the duo wrote ahead of the S/S 2019 show.

Scene setting: Thematically, the collections are always upbeat and have a Francophile joie de vivre; the season explores summer gatherings of all sorts from picnics and parties to weddings and festivals. The clothes were cheerful. As is customary amongst many menswear designers, Leon and Lim looked at blending tailoring with sportswear. The mood felt celebratory as the self-appointed bad boys of jazz – the Chicago based Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – performed in the centre of a spiral catwalk, as clouds of flora and laser beams hovered above our heads.

Best in show: Two-button blazers in orange cotton linen mix with a light resin coating were worn with wide-leg draw-string trousers. Sports jackets were sewn into the backs of tailored pieces. Coats were lightweight with deconstructed shoulders in nylon medallion print. Standout were the fine crew neck t-shirts which had trompe-l'œil pyjama collars or ties on their fronts.

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London based writer Dal Chodha is editor-in-chief of Archivist Addendum — a publishing project that explores the gap between fashion editorial and academe. He writes for various international titles and journals on fashion, art and culture and is a contributing editor at Wallpaper*. Chodha has been working in academic institutions for more than a decade and is Stage 1 Leader of the BA Fashion Communication and Promotion course at Central Saint Martins. In 2020 he published his first book SHOW NOTES, an original hybrid of journalism, poetry and provocation.