Yesterday, I just got back from NYC and next week, I will be going there again for the launch party of Kenzo x H&M and I couldn’t be more excited. This morning, in advance of the New York show, I received the full preview of the collaboration that will be arriving in 250 H&M stores around the world on November 3, 2016.
For the lookbook, Carol Lim and Humberto Leon of Kenzo went for an eclectic global cast. The ambassadors featured in the lookbook are: writer and activist Amy Sall, photographer Youngjun Koo, artist and DJ Juliana Huxtable, musician and performance artist Oko Ebombo, fashion editor Harriet Verney, make-up artist Isamaya Ffrench, artist Ingrid, musician Anna of the North, model and rapper Le1f, as well as models Mae Lapres, Hao Liu, Selena Forrest, Tom Gaskin, Julia Banas and Pierre Painchaud.
Shot me an e-mail and let me know what you think about the collaboration!
LoL, Sandra
Photos: Courtesy of H&M, Photographer: Oliver Hadlee Pearch
What I love about H&M’s designer collaborations is that each of them really puts the emphasize on the brand’s identity and comes up with something unexpected. This week, the first campaign pictures of the upcoming KENZO x H&M collection were revealed starring seven globally celebrated personalities from fashion, music, arts and activism, with Suboi, Chance and Iman as the first ambassadors revealing the new pieces, all shot by no other than Jean-Paul Goude.
Jean-Paul Goude at work with Kenzo’s Humberto Leon.
Even if his name doesn’t ring a bell, you probably know his work. After all, he is responsible for some of the most influential fashion and music imagery of the past five decades. His creative partnership with Grace Jones resulted in what is perhaps his most well-known legacy – more recently he was breaking the internet together with Kim Kardashian, as he shot her for her famous Paper Magazine cover (2014).
Gouge’s famous Paper Magazine cover featuring Kim Kardashian from 2014
The team at work.
For the campaign, Goude has used his signature hand-made cut-up style, slicing and reassembling the prints to express the exuberance and character of the collection.
Find out more about the campaign and the stars featured in it below:
CHANCE THE RAPPER – Musician Chicago-based hip hop artist Chance the Rapper is one of the most celebrated rappers right now. His mixtape Coloring Book will undoubtedly make several ”Best of 2016” lists. Chance the Rapper has also worked with fellow Chicago artist Kanye West.
SUBOI – Musician Vietnamese rap queen Suboi first learned how to rap by listening to Eminem and Mos Def. She is one of Vietnam’s most successful hip hop artists, and also one of the first internationally successful female rappers to emerge from the country.
IMAN – Supermodel, activist and founder of Iman Cosmetics Somali-born Iman was discovered by photographer Peter Beard while she was still in university in Kenya. Only a year later she landed a Vogue shoot. Iman went on to become one of fashion history’s most influential models. In 1994, she founded Iman cosmetics. Iman is also celebrated for her charitable work in Somalia.
The full KENZO x H&M campaign will debut from October 17, starring the complete campaign cast with Rosario Dawson, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Chloë Sevigny and Xiuhtezcatl Martinez.
Stay also tuned for another gorgeous launch event coming up in NYC on October 19, 2016 where I will be flying to and couldn’t be more exciting about it.
The KENZO x H&M collection will be available in over 250 H&M stores worldwide, as well as online, from November 3, 2016.
Here they are: the most important trends for the F/W 2016season. Scroll through my forecast to see which styles will be on everyone’s shopping list next season. From statement furs to velvet everything, from extra long sleeves to oversized down jackets, the choice is yours – enjoy!
LoL, Sandra
F/W 2016 TREND 1: VELVET
Akris – Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini – Giorgio Armani
H&Mhas unveiled today the first three looks of its new designer collaboration with KENZO.
The big reveal is still months away as the collection will hit the stores on November 3, 2016. The pieces are colorful, vibrant and extremely individual. In fact, the tiger stripes that figure in all of these images are based on archival prints.
The looks are presented by friends of the brands, not models. Pictured here are Amy Sall, an activist and founder of SUNU: Journal of African Affairs, Critical Thought + Aesthetics, and artist and poet Juliana Huxtable; Oko Ebombo, a music and performance artist; and Isamaya Ffrench, a makeup artist and member of the London-based collective Theo Adams Company.
From left: Carol Lim, Ann-Sofie Johansson and Humberto Leon
Today, H&M has announced that its next designer collaboration which will be with KENZO, the vibrant and playful Parisian house that captures the energy of global culture to create its unique, youthful spirit. Creative Directors Carol Lim and Humberto Leon will bring this vibe to H&M, creating collections for women and men as well as accessories. KENZO x H&M will be available in over 250 selected H&M stores worldwide, as well as online, from November 3, 2016.
This Sunday, I drove to Colmar in Alsace, France that is well known for its famous Christmas market. I can absolutely recommend this weekend excursion. From Zurich, it took me around one and a half hour to get there by car. Once you have arrived, you will enter the magic of Christmas at its best. First of all there’s the ambiance of the Old Town, illuminated and decorated like a fairy tale.
Colmar town centre is essentially pedestrian, comprises numerous architectural treasures such as monuments, churches, museums and alleys, full of imposing buildings dating from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. Enjoy some of yesterday’s impressions below.
Each year EVIAN releases a new collectible water bottle in time for the holiday season and this time the famous brand has teamed up with no other than the house of KENZO to create a one-of-a kind design.
Previous collaborations (from right to left): Christian Lacroix (2008), Jean Paul Gaultier (2009), Paul Smith (2010), Issey Miyake (2011), Courrèges (2012), Diane von Furstenberg(2013),Elie Saab (2014) and now Kenzo (2015).
Kenzo F/W 2014 ad campaign
KENZO’s Creative Directors, Carol Lim and Humberto Leon, were influenced for their F/W 2014 collection for both men and women by the work of artist and director David Lynch and it is in this vein that the bottle’s motif features a broken floor pattern, toying with the idea of shifting the elements. Offering a magnifying glass effect when full, the bottle’s purple fragmented pattern is penetrated by a sole lime zig-zag, giving the holder a distorted and skewed view of its ultra-pure contents.
The Evian + Kenzo Limited Edition Collector’s Bottle is available for CHF 3.50 at Globus and Manor in Switzerland while supplies last. Great news is that five of my Swiss readers can win such a collector’s bottle.
To participate in the contest, please send me an e-mail with your postal address and the header “Evian + Kenzo” to. All entries must be received until December 5, 2014. No purchase or payment of any kind is necessary to enter or win this contest. By entering this contest, entrants accept and agree to be bound by these official rules. The winner has to have a Swiss address.
Stay tuned for many more raffles to follow during the next 24 days until X-mas.
Great news is that Sandra’s Closet readers get an EXTRA 10% off. Use one of these promo codes at checkout: SCMNFWW10 for worldwide, SCMNFFR10 for France, SCMNFDE10 for Germany and SCMNFIT10 for Italy.
Here is your guide to master the huge sweatshirt trend for F/W 2013with no sweat. The style set can’t get enough of this season’s cool comfy tops. Tap fashion’s slogan sweatshirt craze or go for a floral or embellished version. Highlight a print by wearing skinny pants and sneakers. The great thing about those novelty sweatshirts is that you can also upgrade them with a sexy skirt and a pair of heels. And don’t forget, grey is the colour to think about first!
Coco Chanel once said: “Luxury must ne comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury…”. Wishful thinking and not always true – unfortunately.
Fashion weeks are approaching and I start slowly getting myself organized for some stylish but comfortable outfits in which I can run around the whole day and look good at the same time.
I will finish off the look with some statement nails and vibrant lips: Giddy Kipper nail polish by Butter London and Persistence matte lip colorby Kevin Aucoin.
Jean-Paul Goude at work with Kenzo’s Humberto Leon.
Gouge’s famous Paper Magazine cover featuring Kim Kardashian from 2014
The team at work.
From left: Carol Lim, Ann-Sofie Johansson and Humberto Leon
