The Edition

For the Kenzo Spring/Summer 2019 campaign, Creative Directors of the brand, Humberto Leon and Carol Lim, have teamed up with photographer and filmmaker David LaChapelle. The campaign, which is shot at the photographer’s Los Angeles studio, depicts an optimistic utopia to bring the collection to life. The campaign conjures a Kenzotopia, where streetscapes, urban apartments, and outdoor scenes blur together in a euphoric Technicolor reverie.

As per the Kenzo website, right from his debuts in the 1980s, David LaChapelle gained international fame for his unique approach to image making. Over the past thirty years, his body of work has established the artist as a fixture in contemporary art. His portrait, stage, music video and film works have become iconic archetypes of America in the 21st Century. To create the backdrop for the Kenzo Spring/Summer 2019 collection, he did not simply stage his subjects but brought them to life in a fantasia of his own making. This contemporary take on utopia is inspired by the tropical landscapes of Maui, Hawaii, where he has lived for the past 11 years.

Talking about the project, David LaChapelle siad, “The utopic and heavenly looking, natural spots were all shot in Maui. It felt great to just step into Kenzo’s world and take another look at utopia with Humberto and the team at Kenzo. The result is a really great glimpse of this world. Referencing my own pictures in this sort of surreal way serves it really well.’’

Describing the new campaign, the Kenzo website states, ‘’With its eye-catching, lush colors and bold mingling, Kenzotopia draws inspiration from the rites and rituals of both urban subcultures and Renaissance painting. Models are joined by fashion moonlighters such as dancers, musicians and students. The futurist silhouettes boast energetic colors, revisited shapes and an explosion of exotic prints.

In the words of Humberto Leon, co-Creative Director of Kenzo, “The minute David started to talk to us about what he wanted to do, it felt exciting. I think it perfectly captures the spirit of the brand. From the beginning, Carol and I have really wanted to push the imagery or anything else that is different than all the other brands. David really got that and gave us something that was his own, and at the same time feels really aligned with us.’’