For many people, NIGO's name may not immediately ring a bell. But his influence, however, is everywhere.
Born Tomoaki Nagao, the 55-year-old Japanese designer, DJ, producer and entrepreneur is best known as the founder of streetwear giant A Bathing Ape (BAPE), a longtime collaborator of Pharrell Williams and Virgil Abloh, and the current artistic director of Kenzo.
Long before fashion became obsessed with cross collaborations, limited-edition hype drops and creative directors who moved between music, design and luxury, NIGO was already doing it.
Now, London's Design Museum is dedicating its first major retrospective to the influential creative. NIGO: From Japan with Love brings together more than 700 objects from across his career, including garments, collectibles, furniture, music memorabilia and pieces from his personal archive.
The exhibition traces his journey from a teenager obsessed with Americana and record collecting to one of the most influential cultural figures of the past three decades.
