Landmark NIGO Retrospective Opens at London’s Design Museum

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London’s Design Museum is now hosting a major exhibition celebrating the life and work of NIGO. The show features hundreds of items from his personal collection, including a recreation of his teenage bedroom and a specially constructed tea house.

The exhibition, “NIGO: From Japan with Love,” was created in collaboration between the Design Museum’s curators and NIGO himself. It traces his career, starting from his early days and continuing to his current work.

Curator Esme Hawes explained to TopMob that while they knew NIGO had an extensive fashion collection, they were surprised by the sheer volume when they visited his Tokyo studio. She added that they collaborated closely with him because many of the stories featured in the exhibition were previously unrecorded and existed only as personal recollections NIGO held.

Okay, so the exhibit is downstairs, and you actually walk into a perfect recreation of NIGO’s teenage bedroom! It’s amazing because it’s not just like his room, it is his room – filled with all the stuff he actually owned back then, like his records and furniture. Apparently, NIGO really wanted to start the exhibit this way because so much of what inspires him started when he was really young, as Hawes explained.

Leaving the bedroom, you enter an area showcasing some of the vintage clothes he gathered over the years. Next, you’ll find a recreation of a part of his Tokyo studio, filled with his collection and built using stacks of USM Haller shelving – he’s a big admirer of the brand, according to Hawes.

The first two areas of the exhibit showcase Hawes’ collection of 1980s American fashion and items. He explains that growing up in Japan during that decade, there was a strong American cultural influence due to the continued military presence. This led many young Japanese people to embrace American styles as a way to challenge traditional Japanese customs.

Then, you’ll enter the ‘Nowhere’ section, which recreates the Harajuku store Jun Takahashi and Nigo opened together in the early 1990s. The entrance looks like a real shop, complete with the original sign, bags, and packaging displayed on either side.

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The exhibit then explores how BAPE began, showcasing some of the very first T-shirts NIGO ever created. According to assistant curator Rosa Abbott, BAPE started as a very hands-on, independent operation. Initially, only a small number of items—sometimes as few as five—were made. This was partly because NIGO could only produce so much himself, but it also made the limited items highly sought after.

She explained that this approach really established his future style: releasing items in small batches to create a sense of exclusivity and luxury, not by using expensive materials or famous brands, but simply by making them hard to get.

The exhibit isn’t just about clothing; it also features smaller items designed by NIGO for BAPE, like maps, sponges, paint cans, and the famous banana pillow inspired by Andy Warhol.

To celebrate the show’s location in London, the team highlighted the opening of the BAPE London store, featuring the iconic Union Jack neon sign created by Wonderwall.

Moving further into the exhibition, visitors will encounter a painting KAWS created for NIGO to mark the sale of BAPE. Called “The Death of NIGO,” the artwork celebrates NIGO’s departure from BAPE and draws inspiration from historical Japanese leaders, or shoguns. The painting’s packaging details subtly reference the impact of consumer culture. According to Hawes, it’s a very meaningful piece and one of NIGO’s most treasured items.

The next section focuses on the brands Kenzo and Human Made, showcasing items from both in a way that highlights their similarities and differences. The display mannequins are modeled after Buddy Holly, a musician NIGO has admired since childhood.

I’m so excited to see Kid Cudi’s incredible fashion showcased in the next exhibit! They’re including his amazing electric blue outfit from the 2022 Met Gala, plus all the cool stuff he designed with Uniqlo. And it doesn’t stop there – they’re also featuring pieces from his work with Pharrell at Louis Vuitton and his designs for Lee. It’s a total look at his style evolution, and I can’t wait to see it all!

Hawes particularly loves the pieces that highlight NIGO’s dedication to up-and-coming designers. She explains that despite being a hugely influential person worldwide, he consistently uses his platform to support younger, less-established artists. She specifically mentions a jacket by Cactus Plant Flea Market and a sculpture by illustrator Keiko Sootome as examples.

The final area of the space showcases NIGO’s current interests: the art of tea ceremony and ceramics. To celebrate these passions, NIGO collaborated with Pharrell to design a unique tea house – a glass structure with a copper roof. Within, visitors can view NIGO’s handmade ceramic tea bowls.

The show concludes with a painting from NIGO’s personal collection, a piece by Japanese calligrapher Yūichi Inoue depicting the symbol for “old age.” According to Hawes, this was a fitting end because it reflects NIGO’s personal and professional transition into a new phase of life, making it a particularly meaningful way to close the exhibition.

NIGO: From Japan With Love opens to the public on May 1, and closes on October 4 2026.

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2026-04-28 13:57