Kenzo has made a long-term commitment to tiger conservation through its #Kenzo×WWF collaborations. To further this commitment, Kenzo recently launched a second capsule collection featuring its emblematic tiger in a new graphic representation. Composed of essentials – sweatshirts, t-shirts and tank tops – the new capsule collection is made of 100% organic cotton certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).
This capsule collection is the first by the brand since the sad passing of its engrammatic founder Kenzo Takada, due to Covid-19 related complications last October. For Takada, the tiger symbolized the founding principles of Kenzo: powerful energy, nature as a major inspiration, and the dynamic “Jungle Jap” spirit.
It was Takada’s wish, through his Kenzo brand, to help preserve these majestic animals – a keystone species underpinning the health of ecosystems in the areas they inhabit. Therefore, successfully protecting tigers also safeguards their ecosystems, which harbour thousands of other threatened species. For this reason, the Kenzo brand partnered with WWF to help them achieve their target of doubling the number of tigers in the wild by 2022 – the next Year of the Tiger in the Chinese lunar calendar. This goal, known as TX2, is one of the most ambitious conservation goals ever set for a single species.
WWF is working on solutions that can secure the future of wild tigers. Advocating for more resources to safeguard wildlife in protected areas; stronger laws and enforcement to stop poaching and illegal wildlife trade; improved support to help tigers and people live side-by-side; and raise awareness to tackle consumer demand tiger parts.
The challenge is daunting. Just 11 years ago, wild tigers were nosediving towards extinction. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the global population of wild tigers has fallen by over 95% – from around 100,000 at the beginning of last century to a record low of around 3,200 in 2010. Leſt with just 5% of the range they used to roam, tigers are losing their homes to deforestation and habitat fragmentation, forcing them into rapidly diminishing pockets of nature. They’re also at risk from poachers to supply the illegal wildlife trade.
These are significant issues, especially in the countries of Southeast Asia. Tigers are already functionally extinct in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Viet Nam. And in one of Southeast Asia’s most important remaining tiger landscapes, Belum-Temengor in Malaysia, the tiger population declined by 50% from 2009-2018, largely due to snaring.
However, there is a silver lining to this dark cloud, a very bright one. In 2010, the governments of all 13 tiger range countries made a “T×2” commitment to double wild tigers by 2022. Since then, WWF, together with individuals, businesses, communities, governments and other conservation partners, have worked tirelessly to turn one of the most ambitious conservation goals for a single species into reality.
In some places, it has yielded impressive results. Tigers have made a comeback in Bhutan, China, India, Nepal and Russia. In fact, India’s story of tiger recovery is one of astonishing success: from 2006 to 2018, the estimated number of tigers in the wild more than doubled. In Nepal, wild tigers have nearly doubled since 2009. And in the northern limits of the tiger’s range, in China and the Russian Far East, tiger populations are increasing and dispersing into new areas.
This is an enormous and rare conservation success, and great news for the many other species and millions of people who rely on healthy tiger habitats. Next year, 2022, is a crucial year. Not only is it the Chinese Year of the Tiger, but it’s also a moment when governments will commit to these ambitious goals at the next Global Tiger Summit.
This #Kenzo×WWF collaboration forms part of a broader partnership between Kenzo and WWF, which will work to improve the sustainability of Kenzo’s cotton supply chain and freshwater footprint.
The new capsule collection is now available on Kenzo.com and in Kenzo stores worldwide.
