When new designers take the helm of an established brand, one of the first places they turn for inspiration is the brand’s archives. Since assuming creative direction at Kenzo, Humberto Leon and Carol Lim have been hell-bent on reinvention – and man, have they been successful. Kenzo is searingly relevant right now, especially with the street style set. This season, Leon and Lim have also taken a page from the past – actually a page from Chapter One of Kenzo’s history – by returning to Jungle Jap form. Jungle Jap was Kenzo Takada’s first store, which he opened in 1970 in Paris. Bright young things flocked to the store to get their hands on his brightly colored prints and patterns, most of which he painstakingly crafted himself, rather than sourced from textile merchants. This season, expect Kenzo’s signature looks in the form of giant leopard-spotted and tropical prints, which Leon and Lim blend with a utilitarian-meets-off-kilter silhouette of safari jackets, jumpsuits, slouchy separates, and sundresses. New Kenzo blends past and present, mixing the offbeat hipness of Leon and Lim’s studied designs with an updated take on the Kenzo pattern blueprint.

written by GRACE GORDON|photos: courtesy of GoRUNWAY