Key facts
- London's Design Museum is hosting "NIGO: From Japan with Love," the first major retrospective of Japanese designer NIGO's work.
- The exhibition displays over 700 objects, primarily from NIGO's personal collection, spanning his career in fashion, music, and culture.
- NIGO, born Tomoaki Nagao, is known for founding A Bathing Ape (BAPE) and is the current artistic director of Kenzo.
- The exhibition highlights NIGO's pioneering approach to collaborations, limited editions, and his role as a brand builder.
- The retrospective is structured chronologically, beginning with a recreation of NIGO's teenage bedroom and exploring his influences and current pursuits in Japanese culture.
London's Design Museum is hosting "NIGO: From Japan with Love," a comprehensive retrospective celebrating the influential career of Japanese designer, DJ, and entrepreneur Tomoaki Nagao, widely known as NIGO. The exhibition, featuring over 700 objects, delves into NIGO's impact on fashion, music, and global hype culture, tracing his evolution from a teenager obsessed with Americana and collecting to a pivotal creative director and brand builder.
The exhibition, curated by Esme Hawes, aims to introduce NIGO's extensive influence to a Western audience, many of whom may recognize his brands like A Bathing Ape (BAPE) but not necessarily the man behind them. Hawes highlighted NIGO's contemporary approach as a creative director and brand builder, emphasizing his ability to foster collaborations and construct distinct brand universes. A significant portion of the exhibition, approximately 90%, is drawn from NIGO's personal collection, which he has utilized as a creative toolbox throughout his career.
NIGO himself was deeply involved in the exhibition's development, collaborating on the selection of objects and the overall design. The retrospective is organized into four chronological sections. It begins with a recreation of NIGO's childhood bedroom, followed by a focus on his lifelong passion for collecting. The third section explores the "NIGO effect," illustrating how his name and collaborations with major brands like Uniqlo and Adidas have driven popularity and desirability. The final part showcases NIGO's current interests, including traditional Japanese culture, tea ceremony, and ceramics.
Key pieces on display include one of NIGO's earliest vintage purchases, a well-worn Levi's jacket, and an order card from the nascent stages of BAPE, detailing the minimal quantities of his first products. Music, a significant aspect of NIGO's career as a DJ and producer, is also central to the exhibition, featuring a listening station with playlists curated by NIGO himself, including music from his own projects and collaborations.