For many in Europe, the name NIGO might not be instantly familiar. Yet his fingerprints are all over contemporary fashion, music, and the mechanics of hype. Born Tomoaki Nagao, the 55-year-old Japanese designer, DJ, producer, and entrepreneur is the founder of streetwear giant A Bathing Ape (BAPE), a longtime collaborator with Pharrell Williams and Virgil Abloh, and currently the artistic director of Kenzo. Long before cross-brand collaborations, limited-edition drops, and creative directors who move fluidly between music, design, and luxury became the norm, NIGO was already doing it.
Now, London's Design Museum is dedicating its first major retrospective to this influential figure. 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 charts his evolution from a teenager obsessed with Americana and record collecting to one of the most significant cultural figures of the past three decades.
The Curator's Perspective
Euronews Culture spoke with exhibition curator Esme Hawes about NIGO's legacy, the challenge of translating his vast creative universe into a museum show, and why his personal collection may be the key to understanding everything he has done.
Hawes explained the timing and motivation behind the exhibition: "NIGO is a huge household name in Asia, but in Europe and the Western world he's not so well known — but people will immediately recognise his brands. They might just not have made that connection between him and the person behind it."
She added that the museum was keen to explore the role of a creative director, which is central to NIGO's work. "He's less of a traditional fashion designer in the old school sense, and more a creative director and a brand builder. For us as a design museum, that's particularly interesting because it's a very contemporary take on what a designer is today. We're less looking at people who are amazing at sketching out an idea and more at people who can bring collaborators together and build these universes off the back of that — and that's something NIGO does really, really, really well."
Hawes also highlighted NIGO's lifelong habit of collecting: "He retains pretty much all of that collection and has used it almost as a toolbox, seeking inspiration from it and drawing on it across all his projects, even now in his 50s."
NIGO's Involvement and Surprising Humility
NIGO was deeply involved in the exhibition, from selecting objects to shaping the design. Hawes noted, "He's been very involved in selecting the actual objects on display. The majority are from his own collection — about 90%. I was personally involved in going to Tokyo, meeting him, speaking to him about his collection, what's important to him, his favourite pieces — all to build the narrative of the exhibition."
What surprised Hawes most was NIGO's humility: "He's an incredibly humble man for someone who has had such an amazing, full career and has worked with the best of the best. That humbleness surprised me, but I think it's such a nice way to work." She added that his willingness to learn has been key to his success: "That ability to always think of yourself almost as a student, and to feel there are still so many things you can learn to better yourself, is a really nice approach."
Exhibition Structure: Four Sections
The exhibition is divided into four largely chronological sections. It begins with a recreation of NIGO's teenage bedroom, filled with items he has saved since he was about six years old. The second section focuses on NIGO as a collector, using modular furniture from USM — the same brand he uses in his Tokyo studio — to display his archive. The third section, titled "The NIGO Effect," explores how his association with a brand can drive demand, a phenomenon akin to the "Kate Middleton effect" in fashion. The final section examines his current role as artistic director of Kenzo and his ongoing influence on global culture.
For those interested in broader cultural intersections, the exhibition resonates with other events exploring Japan-Europe connections, such as the Amaterasu Stage Production Celebrating 160 Years of Belgium-Japan Ties in Brussels. Similarly, the Design Museum's focus on creative directors echoes themes in the Saatchi Gallery's 'The Sun and the Moon' exhibition, which explores celestial inspiration across centuries.
NIGO: From Japan with Love runs at the Design Museum in London until [end date]. It offers a rare glimpse into the mind of a man who has shaped how we dress, listen, and consume — and who continues to influence the next generation of creatives across Europe and beyond.
