Meet New York–based multidisciplinary artist and designer, Kenzo Minami. Grounded in graphic design and fine art, Kenzo’s practice spans product and broadcast design, motion graphics, fashion, printmaking, and even cinematography, and photography—an ever-evolving exploration that resists fixed boundaries. Much like the conversation we found ourselves swept up in the day we met, his work draws you into an intricate web of ideas—compelling you to follow the threads of curiosity wherever they may lead.

Born and raised in Japan, Kenzo came to the U.S. after studying Aesthetics, Art Theory, and Philosophy to pursue a BFA in Product Design at Parsons School of Design. His family operated a die-cast metal factory in Osaka where he spent many weekends, giving him an early instinct for engineering and problem-solving. Yet even as a student, his curiosity pushed him beyond objects as final products.

By the time he graduated, he was designing props and sets for television, working on commercials for MTV and the Sci-Fi Channel, and soon co-founding a broadcast design studio, directing music videos and campaigns for major brands. Though later known for his art and design practice, this broadcast period shaped a vital chapter of his career—one that still echoes in his recent video-focused work. All the while, Kenzo was cultivating a personal visual language through independent projects and constant experimentation—a practice that continues to expand and transform today.

His work draws from a vast array of sources—literature, philosophy, mysticism, natural and spiritual science, subcultures, and pop culture—woven into a mysterious yet coherent whole that invites endless deciphering. He has collaborated with Reebok, NASA, Ace Hotel, Nike, Raf Simons, Mercedes-Benz, Wu-Tang Clan, MF Doom, Nepenthes New York, Engineered Garments, and many others—each project becoming a living artifact of the Kenzo Minami universe. His work is also held in the permanent collection of MoMA and featured at Phillips Auction. One can’t help but wonder: how do these worlds take shape, and what compels him to create?

As his extensive list of brand and artist collaborations suggests, Kenzo thrives on collective creation. While he values the freedom to explore within a project, he equally treasures the discipline of working within defined parameters; challenges that “push” his brain and make possible what could never be achieved alone.

Rules and parameters have played a big role in his own work as well. “I used to have a system … Every project, I would create a planet, or the world, with different physics. How the gravity works, how the wind works, what the lighting is, how many suns, whatever—and if you throw your idea in there, something is going to happen … that’s how I used to work.” This self-imposed logic gave coherence to his body of work, no matter how outrageous the ideas might seem. Yet, he notes, “this year … inspiration is entirely in flux.”

Sometimes unexpected “mistakes” would appear in the process—results that broke his rules, but sparked intrigue. In the past, he tended to ignore these anomalies, but “Eventually, it gets boring,” shares Kenzo. Now, he finds himself leaning into them, following the accidents into new territory. Especially in an era of AI, he notes, this human capacity for serendipitous mistakes—and the ability to see potential in them—is what gives human creativity an irreplaceable edge.

This recognition and appreciation for the organic and timeless is also evident in Kenzo’s personal style. He typically gravitates toward “something that is classic and would age well,” he shares—a sensibility he has carried since youth, with many of his possessions lasting for decades. As for fashion, he explains: “I like styles that are timeless in general but also timeless within the context and framework of my life. When I was younger, I had some photos taken that I was dressed in styles which dated badly and rapidly, so now I make sure to be in the styles that you can't tell what year and which stages of my life they are from, except maybe for the amount of gray in my hair.”

The timeless quality is, of course, part of why Kenzo chose our classic Tone Nume Box Tote—also for its versatility, the way it deepens in character as it ages, and “because I am always doing a lot with my hands and I need them to be free … I stick my books, sketch books, note books, pens, and whatever else in it to stroll, go to the park, or grocery shopping.”

As for recent undertakings, Kenzo collaborated with NASA, “which was incredibly inspiring and very exciting.” Lately, he has been exploring photographs and videos, including a documentary series called Do Your Thing (named after the Moondog song), which he is creating with his friend Daniel Barcelowsky to capture local businesses amid rapid change. “This has been a fun exercise in storytelling for me,” he shares. “I especially find editing enormously fun—it has so much creative potential and power.”

Before we part, he gifts us a silkscreened sticker of his piece ODE TO JOY. Releasing stickers of his work into the wild is something he has long practiced, trusting serendipity to carry them into unexpected hands—sometimes returning to him in the form of new connections or adventures. Despite the many chapters, organic sparks and chance encounters remain a constant in Kenzo’s practice. Where they will lead next, we can only wonder—and follow curiously as his ever-evolving creations take shape in the world.