Kelvin Harrison Jr. Serves Looks—Quite Literally—At the Kenzo Show

Kelvin Harrison Jr. is having quite the year. While the actor, who originally hails from New Orleans, has maintained a steady clip since his breakout performance in the offbeat 2017 horror It Comes at Night and the indie hits Waves and Luce, a slew of major films now sees him poised as one of Hollywood’s biggest breakout stars. There was his turn as Fred Hampton in Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7 in 2020, as well as a lead role opposite Peter Dinklage in Joe Wright’s Cyrano last year, and as of this week, his showstopping appearance as B.B. King in Baz Luhrmann’s epic new Elvis biopic.

Still, the 27-year-old actor appears to be taking this very busy period in his stride—even finding time to squeeze in a trip to Paris Fashion Week to catch the Kenzo men’s spring 2023 show. “It was my first time going for fashion week and it was incredible,” says Harrison Jr. “The energy was so great.” (Harrison Jr.’s own energy would be hard to match, we imagine, if the playfully surreal tone of his getting-ready photos he shared with Vogue are anything to go by. The pictures feature spoons, pastries, and Harrison Jr. attempting to cook his Kenzo boots.)

The show marked the sophomore collection from the Japanese streetwear legend Nigo, who was announced as Kenzo’s new artistic director last September. The gymnasium of a high school in the city’s 17th arrondissement—the show’s location—was decorated with college pennants to serve as a backdrop for a colorful array of preppy, varsity-inspired clothes, albeit with Nigo’s typically playful twist. “All the kids in their best fits took me back to being in high school.” Harrison Jr. adds. “We had to wear uniforms, but when we didn’t, everyone wanted to bring out their best fits. It was like the sickest, high fashion graduation.”

Naturally, then, Harrison Jr. gravitated towards a suitably high fashion look: a jacket and trousers in white denim with a shirt underneath, all decorated with kaleidoscopic, abstracted floral motifs and Kenzo’s signature tigers. “I was immediately drawn to that look as it stood out from all the rest,” Harrison Jr. explains. “Plus, I’ve never worn something like that before, and I always gravitate towards something that I don’t know if I can actually pull off!”

Harrison Jr. is no stranger to a bold red carpet look, however. Working with his stylist Michael Fisher, the actor has regularly stepped out in head-turning looks by the likes of Gucci and Burberry, while also attending this year’s Met Gala with the rest of the Elvis cast in a custom look by Prada bedecked with colored stones for a touch of rock ‘n’ roll bling. “I think I always approach it by asking the question, what story do I want to tell?” Harrison Jr. says of his style philosophy. “As that’s the only thing I really know how to do, as an actor. I’m still learning about this whole fashion world but I’m really fascinated by it, even though I think it probably goes over my head sometimes.”