Kenzo Teams Up With Hunter on Boot Collection
Informed by artistic director Nigo’s love of England, Kenzo has launched its first collaboration with Hunter.
According to the French luxury house, the collection is a nod to the “East Meets West” connection rooted in its fall/winter 2023 season, as well as an homage to the Ivy League spirit referenced in the collection.
The resulting Kenzo x Hunter capsule collection features high and mid-top shapes inspired by 1960s duck-hunting boots, available in a mix of rubber, suede and leather. The Hunter color palette of army green and black is shaken up by a graphic injection of “Kenzo red” and the iconic Boke flowers of the brand.
For men, a utilitarian lace-up ankle boot in army-green leather, with recycled nylon upper, shows traditional zigzag lacing across the front. An exaggerated red sole and black shell foxing are crafted from FSC-certified rubber from responsibly managed forests. Detailing includes all-over boke flower outsoles and logo branding – “Hunter” is spelled out on the tongue while “Kenzo Paris” appears at the back of the upper.
For women, Kenzo x Hunter has issued an all-black ankle-to-calf boot in quilted, recycled nylon and a leather upper. It features the same shell foxing, oversized sole and logo branding as its men’s counterpart, and the boke outsole detailing appears in white.
For both women and men, a utilitarian ankle boot features an upper made from felt, leather and a recycled polyester upper. A cover gaiter complements the shoe, available in a combination of army green and red, as well as in an all-black version.
Lastly, the tall unisex original Wellington boot from 1956 has been revisited with a traditional Kenzo boke flower featured on the side. The boot is crafted from vulcanized rubber with a matte finish, and includes playful Hana dots on the lining, made from recycled polyester. The boot is available in black and army green for men and women and red for women.
The Kenzo x Hunter collaboration, which retails between $295 and $660, is now available at Kenzo stores as well as Kenzo.com and Hunterboots.com.
This is the latest shoe moment from the brand since Nigo took over the creative helm in 2021. In May, Kenzo launched its first sneaker designed by its new artistic director. Dubbed the Kenzo-Dome sneaker, the minimalist cupsole shoe was inspired by skateboarding silhouettes that dominated the mid-1990s.
This style was followed by the Kenzo-Pace sneaker, a running-inspired silhouette which launched in September.
As for Hunter, Authentic Brands Group agreed to acquire the intellectual property of the British heritage footwear and outerwear brand in June. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but according to a May report by SkyNews, Authentic’s deal could be valued at 100 million pounds ($124.8 million).
