NIGO From Japan With Love London’s Design Museum Stages The First Major Retrospective of KENZO’s Artistic Director
London’s Design Museum is honouring NIGO, Artistic Director of KENZO, with its first major retrospective dedicated to him, “NIGO: From Japan with Love,” running from May 1 to October 4, 2026. The show traces over 30 years of work across fashion, music and design, and explores how he helped bridge Harajuku streetwear and contemporary luxury, reshaping what global fashion culture looks like today.
What the exhibition covers
The Design Museum describes the show as the world’s first full retrospective of NIGO outside Japan, and his first UK museum exhibition. It charts his journey from the back streets of Harajuku, Tokyo, through the founding of A Bathing Ape (BAPE) and later labels, to his current role at KENZO under LVMH.
Across the exhibition, visitors see how NIGO:
Developed a visual and business language that merged streetwear drops with luxury aspiration. Used music, art, product design and collectingas equal pillars of his…
practice. Helped codify the now standard connection between popular culture and high fashion. 700 plus objects from NIGO’s world The exhibition brings together more than 700 objects, with around 600 drawn from NIGO’s own archive, much of which has never been publicly shown before.
Highlights include: A recreation of NIGO’s teenage bedroom, filled with records, toys, magazines and clothes that shaped his early eye. Rare BAPE designs, vintage baseball caps, varsity jackets and other pieces that reveal his fascination with Americana and street style.
A life size glass tea housemade specially for the exhibition and hand thrown ceramics by NIGO, underlining his connection to Japanese craft. Furniture, collectibles and design pieces that show his role as a curator and archivist of global pop culture, not just a fashion designer.
Together, these objects give a 360 degree view of how NIGO builds worlds, not just brands. Why this matters for KENZO and LVMH For KENZO and LVMH, the exhibition is also a strategic cultural statement…
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