Gone are the clean shirts and preppy looks that have become Franco-Japanese label Maison Kitsuné’s trademark over the years — the brand’s new direction is distinctively fashion-forward.
Since appointing Korean designer Yuni Ahn as creative director last season, working with the label’s founders Gildas Loaëc and Masaya Kuroki, Maison Kitsuné is slowly building a new look, tapping into Ahn’s past as design director for Celine under Phoebe Philo.
“We wanted to give a full wardrobe to a new kind of people,” said Ahn, speaking at the label’s presentation at the Garage Lübeck on Wednesday. “The pieces are quite wearable and simple, but with a new urban feel, a bit sporty, really playful in a way.”
Models, both men and women, walked through pastel-colored plastic arches wearing blazing orange and yellow silhouettes, including the house’s new jacquard monogram, riffing on the label’s initials, woven onto a zingy peacoat with a matching cross-body bag. Prints were psychedelic, with sweaters and skirts for women featuring a holographic pastel print on which one could just make out tiny neon pictures of foxes, the label’s emblem.
Slouchy tailoring was given a relaxed edge with added hoods and drawstrings on jackets, while a flowery-looking camouflage print decorated light raincoats and zip-up jackets. “We wanted the camo print to be a bit dreamy, a bit breezy,” said Ahn. “The feeling of airiness was very important for this collection.”
The label put a strong focus on accessories, introducing sporty double-pocket belt bags, a line of delicate silver jewelry, eyewear in partnership with Khromis and shoes in collaboration with Michel Vivien and Sebago.
They beefed up a collection that felt very on trend, but not quite yet on-brand. However, Maison Kitsuné being a bit of a trailblazer — the house also counts a music label under its belt and Loaëc was a former manager for Daft Punk — history shows it’s best just to trust their instinct.