Kenzo Womenswear A/W11

Following on from last season’s anniversary extravaganza, it seemed Marras travelled as far and away from Japan, the originating country of Kenzo, and instead went to Mexico to hunt the graves of Frida, Georgia O’Keefe and Tina Modotti (all buried in Mexico). The florals we saw were of autumnal earthy tones of burnt browns, ochre, bronze, aubergine and bordeaux, referencing perhaps the dying blooms that lay at graves. Still, in the natural spirit of Kenzo, it was all exuberant and it was precisely the palette that gave a luscious richness to the clothes which were mainly of the long, frothy and floaty variant. Chunky cashmere cardigans, fur gilets and coats and military jackets and parkas added some wintry weight to the clothes that were inspired subtly by Marras’ trio of women.
 
Dazed Digital: What was the starting point for the collection?
Antonio Marras: We went to Mexico. It started to tell the story of Tina Modotti, Frida Kahlo and Georgia O’Keefe and I tried to tell an intimate story of their lives through quiet colours. We had three different parts of the collection.
 
DD: Tell us about the different part of the collection.
Antonio Marras: In the first part, it was a green part and it was inspired by Tina Modotti and so I mixed the military shapes and parkas with the flowers representing Modotti’s strength and her strong character. The second part was inspired by O’Keefe’s attitude so we mixed the quiet colours and the cashmere printed with flowers and stripes. The last part was inspired by Frida Kahlo with the black and the Bordeaux. We cut the print with Chantilly lace to create the long dresses. For the finale, we had three total black looks, unusual for Kenzo.
 
DD: You celebrated Kenzo’s anniversary last season – what do you see for your vision at Kenzo in the coming years?
Antonio Marras: I see the future for Kenzo as being full of flowers – lots of them!

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