Until now, Maison Kitsuné has never overtly nodded to Jacques Tati; yet the filmmaker’s mid-century French flair seemed a good match for the brand’s feisty spirit. Gildas Loaëc and Masaya Kuroki finely overlaid fictional and real worlds, blending Tati’s Mon Oncle and Kitsuné’s mascot so that the long, lean Monsieur Hulot boasted the head of a familiar fox on an intarsia sweater, and the famous fish fountain splashed across suiting as a Lurex motif. Both men’s and women’s collections excelled in lighthearted ease and strong colorways; mismatched parasol stripes, Eames-inspired geometric motifs, and a broader mash-up of naïveté and wit yielded knits, revisited workwear, and youthful clothes that will translate across Maison Kitsuné’s diverse markets.
Loaëc pointed to the teddy jackets—one in allover silver like stainless steel, the other boasting “Maison Renard” across the back—as different ways of squaring the requests for an expanded wardrobe range with the perpetual demand for branded pieces. Hence also the unhinged typography that placed the signature Parisien lettering in a state of free fall. Kuroki, meanwhile, pointed to topstitched denim jackets and preppy, rolled-cuff jeans as Kitsuné’s contribution to the Japanese infatuation with “real clothes.” The glittery vintage automobile will be easy bait for customers who like it when contemporary brands shift into nostalgia gear. Like music artists who sample golden oldies, Loaëc and Kuroki’s throwbacks aren’t necessarily original. But that hasn’t prevented them from refreshing their cool season after season.
