last night’s kenzo x h&m show was a visual feast

We caught our first glimpse of Kenzo’s highly anticipated collaboration with H&M earlier this summer, when the house teased us with a few campaign images. Last night, we saw the entire collection in full force. Celebrating the brand’s 50th anniversary, dynamic duo Humberto Leon and Carol Lim decided to pillage Kenzo Takada’s kaleidoscopic archive for their H&M capsule collection. Cue flashes of bright, bold color — hot pinks, neon greens, electric blues — and a dash of tiger print here, there, and everywhere.

But they didn’t stop there. For last night’s spectacular catwalk show, the designers also harked back to some of Kenzo’s iconic runways from the 70s and 80s, when he would incorporate a riot of dancers, performers, and sometimes make-believe weddings in his shows. Enlisting the help of legendary photographer, graphic designer, and illustrator (there is no end to this man’s talent), Jean-Paul Goude to direct the entire affair — as well as top choreographer Ryan Heffington (the mastermind behind most of Sia’s music videos) — last night’s show was a visual feast. Drummers drummed, whistlers whistled, and brass players played as a cast of dancers and models, dressed in an assortment of kimono jackets, oversized dresses, beanies, turtlenecks, and tiger-striped socks, worn with flip flops strutted around the square runway, contorting their bodies as they moved to the sound of “Express Yourself,” expertly remixed by Sam Spiegel.

“Tonight was a celebration of everything we love about KENZO x H&M,” says Carol and Humberto, “it was a fun, vibrant, and unexpected celebratory mix of different worlds coming together. It was a show we will never forget.” To round off the evening, rapper Ice Cube took to the mic for a surprise performance. “The launch of KENZO x H&M was truly spectacular. It was amazing to see the collection come to life with all its incredible print, color and energy. It was such an honor to have Jean-Paul Goude direct the show and he captured the mood perfectly,” adds Ann-Sofie Johansson, Creative Advisor at H&M.

The KENZO x H&M collection will be available in over 250 H&M stores worldwide, as well as online, from November 3, 2016. Furthermore, if you liked what you saw, you can enter now for a chance to win exclusive tickets to next week’s #KENZOxHM event in London. Excited? We are. Get ready to join #KENZOxHM at the Regent Street store on Wednesday, November 2.

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