Call of the Wild

In 1970, a Japanese Designer Named Kenzo Takada Opened Jungle Jap,A Boutique in Paris That Sold Clothes With an Ethnic Vibe. Fast Forward 46 Years Later,kenzo Is Now Helmed by Carol Lim and Humberto Leon,and Is the Latest Brand to Collaborate With H&m.talking to Harper’s Bazaar, the Duo Discuss Honouring Diversity With This Collection.

- Gerald Tan

When H&M opened the doors to its SoHo store one November morning in 2004, Carol Lim and Humberto Leon were among those who thronged into the Swedish retail giant’s New York outpost, eager to get their hands on the limited pieces from Karl Lagerfeld’s collaboration line. “I can still remember it like it was yesterday,” Lim recalls. “There was so much excitement in the queue.” Twelve years later, things have finally come full circle for the duo, who went from being unknown faces in the jostling crowd to spearheading H&M’s latest designer collaboration as Creative Directors of KENZO. “When H&M approached us, we said ‘Yes’ right away,” Lim adds.

The new 107-piece collection, which hits selected H&M stores worldwide and online on 3 November, carries on the whimsical vein and joie de vivre spirit that catapulted its eponymous founder, Kenzo Takada, to fame in the ’70s. An eclectic selection of bulbous coats, bohemian dresses, colourful sweaters and charming accessories come fashioned from fabrics in graphic prints pulled together from the brand’s archives, updated with a modern, street-infused aesthetic that has made Lim and Leon’s remake of KENZO such a huge runway hit.