Anything Humberto Leon and Carol Tim touch turns to gold. You can see it at Kenzo and of course, it's more than apparent with their boutique, Opening Ceremony. The only problem has been that the goodies on offer in their stores have only been available in New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo but today it finally landed in London.
As I mentioned back in April, the pair have brought the boutique to London in a special pop-up shop on King Street in London's Covent Garden and this morning press were invited to have a preview of what the pop-up has to offer. 'We had a week to set up the shop, Leon told the Telegraph's Tamsin Blanchard. 'It was like a game show. At least we have three months to set up the new store, which has a whole new feel.'
So there you have it. If you don't get the chance to make it to the pop-up, the permanent store is coming soon so you won't miss out.
Opening Ceremony, 31-32 King Street, Covent Garden WC2.
Humberto Leon and Carol Lim are known for working on great collaborations in their roles at Opening Ceremony. Kenzo fans are getting the fruits of that now too as the designers, who are also creative directors at Kenzo, already have several partnerships planned for the brand.
First up is Vans. Yesterday this image of their collaboration with the company finally dropped. The collection features seven different colour combinations that tap into the net print that they used in their S/S12 collection. 'Vans is one of the iconic American brands and we liked the idea of infusing this bit of American style into the house of Kenzo,' the duo stated. According to WWD prices begin at 90 euros, which might seem on the pricey side for Vans but are pretty affordable as designer trainers go. Pick them up from mid-May at Kenzo stores as well as Colette, Harvey Nichols, Lane Crawford and Opening Ceremony.
It's never easy stepping into another designer's shoes, especially at a big fashion house, so the stakes were high this week as Humberto Leon and Carol Lim showed their first collection at Kenzo. The Opening Ceremony bosses were an unexpected appointment for the role but that's no reflection on their ability as designers at all. After all, over the years they've carved out a strong business of their own and for the brand's S/S12 collection the pair have done really well.
The collection had a youthful feeling, which was spot on considering the shake up with their price points, as they move into the contemporary market. Prints - in diamond shapes and birds - dominated the collection on maxi dresses, silk blouses, extra long visors and silk high waisted palazzo pants. Colours were varied coming in red, blue, off-white, green, orange and yellow and textures alternated from heavy fabrics, which felt far too heavy for spring, on outerwear to more lightweight styles on tops, clingy printed shorts and relaxed zip-up anoraks. Shape was also an area of focus the duo. Like at Badgley Mischka and Vera Wang tops came in peplum styles and collars and the bottom of jackets came in rounded styles and trousers were often volumous with one pair coming in cinched at the ankles.
Big changes are taking place at Kenzo at the moment. This week the brand announced that they have brought the duo behind Opening Ceremony to serve as joint creative directors at the brand, succeeding Antonio Marras. Fans of the American chain should not despair as the Humberto Leon and Carol Lim have both confirmed that they will continue their work at Opening Ceremony and will now simply split their time between Paris and New York.
"Humberto and Carol will bring their fresh creative talent and innovative approach to Kenzo to rejuvenate this iconic brand," Pierre-Yves Roussel, chairman and CEO of LVMH's fashion division, explained. "I am confident that they will leverage the unique contemporary & lifestyle spirit of the Brand to position it ideally for an ambitious development."
Three days has passed since the big reveal of the the Duchess of Cambridge's wedding dress and we're still talking about it. Before the cermony had finished WWD managed to release a list of comments from the fashion elite about their opinion of the dress and, based on their comments, they loved the dress just as much as we did.
Mark Badgley of Badgley Mischka, speaking for himself and James Mischka: 'James and I have goose bumps! The dress is perfection; and will stand the test of time. It is a classic Grace Kelly look. The skirt is divine. We love the hair down and the veil. The proportion is beautiful.'
The fashion world flooded backstage to congratulate Antonio Marras after his Spring/Summer 11 collection for Kenzo yesterday. The show was a special one for the brand as it helped mark their 40th anniversary, which was celebrated in the show by the designer dedicated half of it to showcase pieces of the brand's archive including some of the pieces he's contributed since arriving at the house six years ago. Models walked the runway and stood in the Cirque d'Hiver with layers and layers of the brand's archive to a rapturous applause.
The show was interesting, moving in a new direction from what we've seen in the past, which Marras confirmed was a deliberate move hinting to Style.com that we'll see a change post anniversary. Marras showed the signature eclectic mix of East meets West on volumous kimonos and loosely struxtured printed waistcoats styled over cropped tops under dresses with 3-D rose prints all of them with similar-style trousers.
Despite rumours that are circulating of LVMH's attempt to find potential buyers for loss-making label Kenzo, this is being vehemently denied by company's spokesperson who estimated the fashion house's annual sales to be a healthy 150 million euros.
Unlike many other brands who focus on purely on ready-to-wear, Kenzo is still running its cosmetic and fragrance lines. Reports have also been circling that LVMH has started the sale process of its La Brosse and Dupont unit, which has been valued at 50 million euros. Again they did not wish to comment.
After a tragic battle with cancer, Joseph Ettedgui founder of fashion label JOSEPH, has died aged 74. The Moroccan-born owner stumbled upon his career in fashion after moving from Casablanca to London to work as a hairdresser, where fate would bring him to meet Kenzo, for whom Ettedgui went on to stock in the basement of his hair salon. Continuing to sell Kenzo, and adding Emanuelle Khanhand Jean-Charles de Castelbajac to his discovered young talent, Ettedgui opened his first store in 1972, in Chelsea.
From there came a knitwear line -Joseph Tricot - which expanded shortly after with the addition of tailoring, from which the figure flattering stretch boot-cut trousers became a staple buy for almost every woman's wardrobe. Always with a keen eye for new and fresh talent, the Joseph stores have stocked the likes of John Galliano, Azzedine Alaia, Muiccia Prada and Katharine Hamnett. Although Ettedgui sold the Joseph stores in 2005, his uncanny eye for talent will live on through the brand, which remains as one of Britain's most successful retailers.
