Kenzo Takada: The World Is Beautiful

Kenzo Takada, the founder of the worldwide Kenzo brand, passed away due to Coronavirus complications on October 4th in the middle of Paris Fashion-week, in an ever-symbolic fashion. He stole away our hearts with creative, colorful and cheerful designs, as well as the ability to introduce Japanese fashion into the Western world in a culture sensitive way. 

Born on 27th of February 1939 in Himeji, Hyogo, Japan, as one of seven children of a hotel owner, Takada’s interest for fashion started when he was young by looking into his sister’s fashion magazines. As his family was not fond of the idea of Kenzo entering the fashion world, he began his education at the Kobe City University of Foreign Studies. However, despite his family’s objection, he later on enrolled at Tokyo's Bunka Fashion College, as one of the first male students to be allowed to attend the school. During his time at there, his talent was noticed and awarded, among others with the Soen Award in 1961.

Inspired by his teacher, Chie Koike, Takeda dreamed of Paris. With a little bit of luck and monetary compensation he managed to finance his travel to the West and began his adventure in the city of lights. He was supposed to be in Paris for only a few months, yet he stayed for 56 years. His journey with the fashion world began back in Japan, but in France he began by selling sketches to fashion houses for change, and also worked with stylists and fabric manufacturers. 

Kenzo Takada in Paris, September 1978

“Fashion is not for the few — it is for all the people, it should not be too serious.”

— Kenzo Takt

In 1970, he managed to rent out a cheap space and finally began realising his dream of pioneering a Japanese fashion house in Paris. With little capital, he managed to create a small collection which was exhibited in Gallery Vivienne. Inspired by the works of Henri Rousseau, he covered his boutique’s walls with flowers. His company, initially called Jungle Jap, was renamed into Kenzo in 1971, due to the controversial nature of it. “Fashion is not for the few — it is for all the people,” he told The New York Times in 1972. “It should not be too serious.”

 Wanting to create his own kingdom, he was never afraid to experiment and view fashion as his playground. He took advantage of new and previously undiscovered fabrics, patterns and oriental influences, wanting to be remembered as a designer who crossed and fought boundaries. Soon, he came to the conclusion that: “Fashion is like eating, you should not stick with the same menu”. So he offered the Parisian crowd a fresh and original outlook on clothes, making them liberating and full of joy and freedom. Drawing from his own culture, he managed to separate his collections from the traditional styles of the French fashion houses; the contrast itself is what made so many people fall in love with his designs. Extravagant and exclusive fashion shows furthered the fantasy of his brand, attracting many young clients, tired of the old couture status quo. After his initial success, he expanded his brand to menswear in 1983, a jeans line in 1986 and perfume in 1988. 

Kenzo Takada walks the runway during the Kenzo Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 1999 Fashion Show, as part of Paris Fashion Week 1998

A change of approach came with the death of his longtime partner, Xavier de Castella, in 1993. It is then that he decided to sell his company to LVMH, for now a seemingly silly price of $80 million. He agreed to stay on as the head designer, but due to the increasingly business-like approach to fashion and his brand, Kenzo decided to step down from his role in 1999. 

He continued his creative work during special projects, such as designing costumes for the opera, creating the Japanese Olympic uniforms in 2004, working on homeware collections and even curating a whole other brand: K3. His persona was so legendary in the industry, that even his death carried a symbolic value, as it happened in the middle of a struggling Paris Fashion Week. 

Many of us have known the Kenzo brand since we were little. We’ve seen its colourful footprint on clothes and inside homes, speaking joy and making all of us want to be extra playful with his designs. We’ve worn his t-shirts and sweatshirts and admired his runway looks. But apart from appreciating beauty, what’s more important is that we can take away so much from this legend: starting with never being afraid of being yourself, being original, being unique, fighting the status quo of any industry we want to enter, ending on valuing our own beliefs, and respecting our values. I think in times like this, we could all be a bit more like him, represent his words and legacy, and continue to make the world beautiful.