KENZO Announces 'Yo! My Saint' Film With Original Music: Watch the Short Here
by Kara Powell
Embracing intersectionality of the fashion, music and film industries is a nice lane to drive in. In its sixth film of the designer's season series, KENZO joins the ranks of those who have executed "the three-pronged endeavor" with "Yo! My Saint," a music film written and performed by Karen O, front-woman of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs with British singer Michael Kiwanuka, and directed by The Bad Batch's Ana Lily Amirpour.
The project for KENZO'S Spring/Summer '18 collection weaves together a narrative of "two muses, one artist in love," created by mounting tension on-screen of a Japanese model and photographer, which yo-yo's between romantic and platonic. While fictional, the two muses which inspired KENZO creative directors Humberto Leon and Carol Lim's vibrant and daring collection, are very real: model Sakoyo Yamaguchi and music legend Ryuichi Sakamoto.
The film and show in Paris featured an all-Asian cast and models, which is exactly what all three industries need right now. In addition to diverse characters, director Amirpour promises the aesthetics of the film, which builds in visual symphony with the title track, will be an acid trip and a stumble down Nostalgia Lane:
"I find life to be very psychedelic and I think our imagination and our dreams are very much interwoven into how we experience reality. What is memory? What is nostalgia? What is it when you lose something and how it manifests in your thoughts and feelings?"
Previously, KENZO has produced five other films complementing their seasonal fashion lines employing the creative genius of Natasha Lyonne, Carrie Brownstein, Kahlil Joseph, Sean Baker, and Gregg Araki.
Give the video a watch above. Fashion fans and music muses can look forward to owning a vinyl version of the film in the near future.
Written by Kara Powell