Kenzo pushes Felipe Oliveira Baptista debut to Paris women’s season

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Jan 6, 2020

The house of Kenzo has edged back the unveiling of the debut collection by its new creative director Felipe Oliveira Baptista to the Paris women’s season.

 
For the past several seasons, under the previous direction of Oliveira Baptista predecessors Carol Lim and Humberto Leon, Kenzo showed its fall men’s and women’s collections on a joint runway during the Paris menswear season in January.
 
However, on Monday the Paris-based maison revealed it was shifting Oliveira Baptista’s debut back over six weeks to the French women’s season. The next French women’s ready-to-wear catwalk season runs from February 24 to March 3; while the menswear runway season lasts from January 14 to 19.

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“The House of Kenzo is pleased to inform you that Felipe Oliveira Baptista first Women and Men collections will be presented during upcoming Paris Women Fashion Week. Kenzo won’t be showing during Paris Men Fashion Week,” the house added in a release.
 
The news does not come as a total surprise, as Kenzo was one of the rare Paris which presented a co-ed show during the French men’s catwalk seasons. And the arrival of a new designer often heralds a change in strategy.

 
That said, Kenzo remained vague about the exact date and location of Oliveira Baptista’s first time at bat. “We will come back to you shortly with further details and info,” the release read tersely.
 
In July 2019, Kenzo announced the arrival of Oliveira Baptista, who joined Kenzo after a distinguished career at French sportswear label Lacoste, where he left after doubling sales in an eight-year stint.