Karl Lagerfeld Announces Collaboration With Designer Kenneth Ize

Launching for the Spring 2021 season, the special-edition capsule collection will fuse KARL LAGERFELD’s iconic aesthetic with Kenneth Ize’s heritage prints and craftsmanship.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, July 05, 2020:   KARL LAGERFELD is pleased to announce it will collaborate with fashion designer Kenneth Ize, to introduce a capsule collection for the Spring 2021 season. The special-edition pieces will be available at select KARL LAGERFELD stores and online at KARL.COM, from April 2021.

“I have been eagerly awaiting the moment we would announce this project and my partnership with KARL LAGERFELD,” says Kenneth Ize. “The breadth of Karl’s work has been very inspiring to me, and it’s an honor to be working with his namesake maison. Our vision is to combine KARL’s Parisian-chic aesthetic with elements of traditional African artistry.”

Kenneth Ize is inspired by traditional West African fabrics and specifically a type of weaving called “aso oke.” Committed to craftsmanship, his designs combine a hand- made African aesthetic with elements of contemporary luxury. His work is also rooted in a strong collaborative spirit; he uses fabrics created by local weavers and designers in Lagos, Nigeria, with the hope to preserve the heritage of the centuries-old craft.

“Over the past months of getting to know Kenneth and discussing this project, we have all become increasingly excited about our collaboration,” says Pier Paolo Righi, CEO of KARL LAGERFELD. “Kenneth Ize shares KARL LAGERFELD’s vision for innovation, craftsmanship, quality and authenticity; we very much look forward to launching this capsule collection together.”

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, and raised in Vienna, Austria, Kenneth Ize says his interest in fashion design began as a child, when he would help his mother choose fabrics to hand-make her own outfits. He studied fashion and design at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, and upon graduation, he relocated to Lagos in 2015 to launch his eponymous label. Kenneth Ize was named a LVMH Prize finalist in 2019.

Further details on KARL LAGERFELD’s collaboration with Kenneth Ize will be revealed in the coming months.