2020 EDGE - Stephen Kenn
Courtesy of Stephen Kenn
This laid back Canadian was born to be a designer.
He started his career in denim when he was just 20 years old. When the company that he founded with his friend was picked up a few years later by Fred Segal, he moved on to leather bags. And after selling that company, he decided to try designing furniture and hasn’t looked back since. With an enviable roster of clients that includes Todd Snyder, Nick Wooster, Jamie Blakey, and Klein Agency, Kenn is known for pieces that combine good taste, technical skill, and quality materiality. There is also a certain masculinity and heritage craftsmanship to his work.
Together with his wife and partner Beks Opperman, this dynamic duo has built Stephen Kenn, the studio, from a cottage industry into a community-driven design federation of sorts. Their downtown loft doubles as a showroom, coffee house, whiskey tasting room, and - at least prior to the pandemic - as a designer microhotel for those in-the-know. Since the pandemic, Kenn has pivoted to design and produce face masks, which have a distinct vintage military vibe. He is currently working on new artful pieces and accessories, which he will debut at the LA Design Festival.
Kenn, and his partner Beks Opperman, will receive the 2020 EDGE award on Thursday, September 24 at the LA Design Festival Awards Night. Check out Stephen Kenn’s latest work at INTRO / LA and as part of the Design for the Future show, both on view at ROW DTLA through the end of October.
Learn more about Stephen in this story in Surface Magazine or check out a recent interview with Ben Uyeda below.
