The Asian Who Shakes Up the World of Fashion: Kenzo

The fashion world is full of new brands every day and legendary names that appeal to mass audiences. In this endless sea where every day a new style and brand emerges, even if some big names migrate away, the brands and names they created live on forever. Here is Kenzo Takada, born in Himeji, Japan, a place that preserves modesty and all-natural authenticity—he sets out from Asia and shakes up the Paris fashion world. Here is Kenzo Takada’s breathtaking success and life.

Who Is Kenzo Takada?

Kenzo Takada was born in 1939 in Himeji, Japan. His interest in fashion was evident from a young age. Like every young girl, his sisters would look at fashion magazines and pictures. Kenzo noticed that these things attracted his attention, and without even realizing it, he was coming up with ideas for the outfits he saw.

Seeing his interest, his family sent Takada to Tokyo Bunka Fashion College, one of Japan’s most important fashion schools. While studying there, Kenzo also surprised everyone—he could even be said to have been the school’s first male graduate.

In 1964, the decision was made to demolish the house he lived in, on the grounds that it was located in the area where the Olympic Stadium would be built. With a piece of advice and a moment of courage, he boarded a ship. This ship bound for Paris was the beginning of the most important journey of his life.

When he arrived in Paris, of course, opportunities were not presented to him on a golden platter. However, Takada had an idea—something he believed in. He was knowledgeable about Japanese culture. After all, it was the place where he was born, raised, and educated. Europe, on the other hand, showed interest once it met new cultures. Believing this, he would embellish his European-style, loose-cut look with bold Japanese chrysanthemum flower designs. But not everything went the way he wanted. Unfortunately, he didn’t have enough money to launch his collection. Kenzo bought cheap, out-of-season fabrics from haberdashers in the Montmartre area and completed his collection with them. The famous collection he released in 1970 would later be imitated by hundreds of fashion designers.

After introducing his first collection in 1970, Kenzo continued with women’s designs in this process. In 1983, he released his first men’s collection. Five years after his collection, he launched his first Kenzo perfume. No matter how much fashion collections were talked about; Kenzo perfumes were extremely popular and he became widely known in this field.

His designs were shown in France, New York, and Japan. In the second year after opening his boutique, he was recognized in Japan as worthy of the “Fashion Editor Club of Japan” award. In 2016, he also became eligible to receive the Legion d’Honneur (Legion of Honor).

Kenzo’s only success and love wasn’t limited to fashion. He was also very curious about films and the world of cinema. In 1981, he served as the screenwriter, costume designer, and director of the film “Yume, yume no ato.” He acted in the documentary House of Cardin and Rose Palace, which tells the life of the famous fashion designer Pierre Cardin.

By 1993, he felt he was getting tired, and he sold Kenzo to the globalizing Louis Vuitton Group. This move meant great growth and globalization for LV. However, LV believed in his design genius and talents to the very end. That’s why, even though they sold him in 1993, they wanted him to stay at the helm of Kenzo. Unable to separate himself from fashion, Kenzo accepted the offer and agreed to remain in charge of the brand and create designs until 1999. But by 1999, he was thoroughly exhausted and gave up his position here as well, to spend time with his family.

Over the course of his life, Kenzo created nearly 10,000 designs in total, and in 2020 he passed away in France due to Covid-19.

Kenzo’s Style

Kenzo has a distinctive style. Primarily, he sells basic clothing products with different designs. The brand’s most important line is the East-West synthesis, especially the way it conveys the lines of Eastern culture in a European manner. Since his first collection, Kenzo’s only job wasn’t just to bring Asian flower motifs and beautifully reflect the patterns of that region into his designs. In general, he managed to bring many designs to the fashion world, such as basic, embroidered T-shirts and ethnic shirts, and more.

In addition, the iconic tiger model is now Kenzo’s logo. In every season, you can find at least one flower and tiger pattern.

In Kenzo’s designs, the brand always carries syntheses of Eastern culture. However, after Takada’s departure, he never stopped updating his designs. Especially in the recent period, Kenzo has strengthened its men’s collection significantly, using stitched embroidery models instead of prints on its T-shirts and sweatshirts. In this way, they can bring the quality of the product to the forefront in a more qualified manner, and customer satisfaction keeps rising.

Kenzo actively serves its fans across many product groups. In Kenzo’s product range, you can mainly find:

• Dress
• Shirt
• Sweater
• Swimwear & Shorts
• Coat
• Polo Collar
• Sweatshirt
• T-shirt you can find.

You can find Kenzo’s new season products—an exceptional brand where Asian style is blended with Europe—at Exxeselection, the address for luxury and quality clothing.