2020 OCTOBER
FASHION QUOTE - KENZÕ TAKADA
Written by : Andrew Sia
Illustrated by : Elita Lam
“In fashion, the only certainty is that nothing is certain.”
Kenzõ Takada, is a Japanese-French fashion designer. He is also the founder of Kenzo, world renowned fashion brand for clothes, perfumes, and skincare products. He is also the acting Honorary President of the Asian Couture Federation.
Kenzo’s piece was planned in the beginning of this year and decided for our October issue. On October 4, Sunday , it was announced that Japanese fashion designer Kenzo Takada, died in a hospital outside Paris due to Covid-19 complications. He was 81. We feel sorry about the loss of this fashion icon.
Courtesy of NOWNESS AT YOUTUBE Feb 28 2018
Buenos Aires-based filmmaking collective 1985 offer a unique portrait of the Kenzo founder, told through his hands. Speaking about their original approach to portraiture, the directorial collective explain: “We believe hands can tell you a lot about a person, because hands do not have a social construction—they’re the same when we are with people and when we are alone.”
Born into a family in Himeji, Hyõgo Prefecture on February 27, 1939, to the parents who ran a hotel. He studied very briefly at the Kobe City University of Foreign Studies, and quitted in the first year because of his father’s death. In 1958, he enrolled at Tokyo’s Bunka Fashion College at the time when the school started to take in male students. In the school he won a fashion design competition, the Soen Award, in 1961. He also began to work in the Sanai Department Store, and it was said that he designed up to 40 women’s clothing a month.
In his early days, he was inspired by Yves Saint Laurent. His interest in Paris was fostered by his teacher at Bunka, Chie Koike, who became his mentor. In 1964, Japan was preparing for the Summer Olympic, and while the city was remodeling, his apartment was demolished. With the money as compensated by the government, he took the month-long boat trip to Paris.
In the beginning when he was in Paris, he struggled by selling sketches of designs to fashion house for 25 Francs each. He didn’t give up but vow to open a fashion house in Paris. You can follow his ventures as the following:
- 1970 – Open his first shop using fabrics from the Saint Pierre market in Montmartre, in a collection eclectic and bold. At the same year, presented the collection at his first fashion show at the Galerie Vivienne.
- He painted the shop interior with jungle-like floral aesthetic, a combination of jungle aesthetic with his homeland. He even named his shop as “Jungle Jap”. This name caused controversy and in the following year the Japanese American Citizens League even issued a summons to Takeda during his first trip to the United States and asked him to remove the word “Jap” from his signage.
- That year, Elle featured one of his designs on its cover.
- 1971 – Takeda’s collection was presented in New York City and Tokyo.
- 1976 – Opened his first flagship store, Kenzo, in the Place des Victoires.
- !978 to 1979 – His experimenting in theatricality, held the shows in a circus tent, featuring performers on horses wearing transparent uniforms, with him riding an elephant.
- 1983 – Kenzo launched his first men’s collection.
- 1984 – He signed with The Limited Stores for a less-expensive clothing called “Album by Kenzo,” a children line called “Kenzo Jungle” and also jeans for men and women. It was released in 1986.
- 1988 – His first women’s perfume began with Kenzo de Kenzo which renamed later to Ça Sent Beau and L’eau par Kenzo.
- 1991 – Launched the men’s perfume, Kenzo pour Homme.
- 1993 – Kenzo brand began to own by LVMH.
- 2000 – Launched Flower by Kenzo was listed in Vogue’s website as one of the best classic French perfumes of all time.
- 2001 – Skincare line, KenzoKl was launched.
- 2016 – Designed a perfume line for Avon.
Kenzo Takada announced his retirement in 1999 to pursue a career in art. He pursued in furniture although he reappeared into fashion occasionally.
You can count his achievements in the industry as:
- 2013 – Joined the Asian Couture Federation as the organization’s inaugural Honorary President
- 2016 – Knight of the Legion of Honor, the French highest order of merits
- 2017 – Lifetime Achievement Award at the 55th Fashion Editors’ Club of Japan Awards
