Humberto Leon And Carol Lim Are Exiting Kenzo

Kenzo has parted ways with creative directors Humberto Leon and Carol Lim after eight years. The pair, who co-founded Opening Ceremony, will present their last collection for the LVHM-owned fashion house in Paris on June 23 during the men’s spring/summer 2020 shows. Their contract officially ends on July 1st.

Leon and Lim were brought on to take the creative helm of the house by former LVMH head Pierre-Yves Roussel in 2011. The duo – who formed multi-brand boutique Opening Ceremony in 2002 and quickly became known for their eye for emerging talent – was charged with bringing back the buzz around the 1970-born house.

The pair revamped Japanese designer Kenzo Takada’s legacy with branded “merch”, including its tiger tees and jumpers, before it became a mainstream trend. But, despite an industry-wide appreciation of their work, Kenzo remained a small earner within LVMH’s luxury stable. Unlike the Kenzo tiger-branded streetwear, the brand’s collaborations with Leon and Lim’s creative circle – such as films by friends Carrie Brownstein and Natasha Lyonne – failed to resonate with customers. In 2018, the company had to restructure while looking for a new investor.

“Kenzo has always been deeply involved in culture,” Leon told Vogue last year, when he unveiled his own directorial debut for the label. “We love using fashion as a medium, because we know that it can seep into different art forms. We blur the lines between fashion, music and art through storytelling.” They forged on with this thought process, and staged elaborate presentations, including one in Disneyland, despite the fact the brand generated less than €400 million annually, according to Business of Fashion.

No specific reason was detailed by LVMH as to why now was the right time to announce Leon and Lim’s departure, but Kenzo chief executive Sylvie Colin praised the work of the artistic directors during their tenure at the house. “Humberto and Carol consistently brought diversity and inclusion to the forefront at Kenzo, using their collections, fashion shows, advertising, and special projects to engage and galvanise a new generation of creatives,” she said.

LVMH will likely announce a successor after the duo’s last day. Leon and Lim’s next move will be to focus on sustaining the growth and creativity embedded in their own passion project, Opening Ceremony.