How Long Would You Wait For A Kenzo Tiger Jumper?

• 15 September 2013
• Ella Alexander

KENZO now struggles to keep its cult Tiger jumpers in stores for more than two to three hours at a time, but the much-coveted piece nearly didn't make the cut.
Creative directors Carol Lim and Humberto Leon were trawling through the label's archives when they found a small running tiger motif inside waistbands and jackets, which they then embroidered on an autumn/winter 2012 knitted jumper (featured left) - although this wasn't the piece that would set fashion hearts racing. Leon wanted a more relaxed version to wear when he took his catwalk bow, a request that was met with reluctance from his design team.
"I told Kenzo, 'I'm going to make a tiger sweatshirt for myself,'" Leon recalls. "They were like, 'What kind of fabric?' I said, 'Er… sweatshirt material,' and they said, 'We don't do sweatshirts.'"
Luckily for the brand's adoring fans, the correct fabric was found and the item became a bestseller.
"The knitted and embroidered jumper that we created was quite expensive and we didn't sell that many," Lim toldStylist. "But then there was a waiting list in store for the sweater as it got shot for the ad campaign. So when the sweatshirt came in, it just blew up. We just couldn't keep it in stores."