Felipe Oliveira Baptista to leave Kenzo this summer

Portuguese designer Felipe Oliveira Baptista, who took up the role of artistic director of Kenzo in 2019, has announced that he is stepping down from his position in June this year.

In a short statement, Kenzo said that Baptista would “cease all of his functions” for the fashion brand on June 30 at the end of his contract.

Sylvie Colin, chief executive of Kenzo, said in a statement: “We are very grateful to Felipe for his talent, creativity and contribution to the artistic development of our House.”

Paris-based Baptista replaced Carol Lim and Humberto Leon and made his collection debut during Paris Fashion Week for autumn/winter 2020, alongside a new logo that was designed to “write a new chapter in its history”.

Commenting on leaving the fashion house, Baptista said: “I have been honoured to serve this amazing House and legacy of its founder Kenzo Takada. I would like to thank my teams for their talent and dedication.”