Fashion career profile
Nigo
Nigo is a Japanese fashion designer, entrepreneur and the artistic director of KENZO. He became widely known through Tokyo’s streetwear and music scenes and founded A Bathing Ape before taking on the KENZO role. LVMH appointed him artistic director in September 2021, making him the first Japanese designer to lead the house since its founder, Kenzo Takada. His work at KENZO brings together the maison’s Paris heritage with references to Japanese culture, streetwear and contemporary popular culture. He has developed ready-to-wear collections for the house while maintaining a broader practice that includes music, visual culture and collaborations. The KENZO appointment is recorded as a house-wide creative role, not a narrowly defined menswear position. His earlier entrepreneurial work is presented as a distinct career chapter and is not confused with employment by KENZO or the LVMH group.
- Role
- Artistic Director, KENZO
- Nationality
- Japanese
- Age
- 55
- Career appointments
- 3
- Fashion houses
- 3
- Nigo and J-Hope Team Up on Nike Air Force 1WWD · 2026-10-08
- Olympia Launches Design Museum Partnership, Beginning With NigoWWD · 2026-09-25
- New Arrivals From HBX: Human MadeHypebeast Fashion · 2026-09-20
- Entrepreneurship: Founded A Bathing Ape before joining KENZOLVMH’s KENZO profile identifies his independent streetwear-label background. · LVMH
- 2021 — Appointed Artistic Director of KENZOLVMH announced his appointment to lead the Paris fashion house.
- 2025 — Develops KENZO’s Tokyo–Paris dialogueLVMH’s collection report describes the cultural references in his KENZO work.
- 2021–Present — Artistic Director — KENZOCurrent appointment · LVMH
- 1993–2013 — Founder and Creative Director — A Bathing ApeHistorical appointment · Design Museum
- 1993–2013 — Founder and Creative Director — BAPEHistorical appointment · Design Museum