Stylist Kenzo Takada passed away at the age of 81, leaving us his most fantastic creations of each other.Stay tuned for a short retrospective of the best events and looks from the Kenzo collections.
In 1958, the young Kenzo Takada joined Burka Fashion College, the most prestigious fashion school in Tokyo. He already had a fascination for Parisian fashion, in particular for the collections of designer Yves Saint Laurent. When he arrived in France in 1964, he brought with him his love for bright colours and floral prints and a great creative spirit. Kenzo Takada, a true pioneer of multiculturalism, was greatly inspired by his Japanese roots but also by the world. He revisits the very minimalist Japanese tradition and creates his own universe, joyful outfits he said, colourful outfits that represent the freedom of the woman’s body.
The Japanese stylist founded “Jungle Jap” in 1970 and renamed it “Kenzo” in 1980. The Kenzo workshops and shops are then Place des Victoires in Paris, an idyllic setting. In 1972, Kenzo Takada unveiled his first show at the Musée d'Orsay. In 1975, he showed his collection in Tokyo. At the end of the 70s, Kenzo marked the history of fashion with his amazing shows, he unveiled his collection under a big tent and emerged on the back of an elephant followed by naked riders. This fashion show appeared like a real circus show and it foreshadows a joyful and festive fashion house. During a "Kenzo" party at the Palace nightclub in Paris, Fabrice Emaer, Patrice Calmette and Kenzo Takada dress up as Mickey Mouse accompanied by Helmut Berger.
The 80s marked the success of Kenzo partially thanks to the pyjama suit in cotton jersey, accompanied by corolla dresses and jeans adorned with colorful flowers. Kenzo launched the men’s line of the house in 1983. During the Autumn-Winter fashion show on March 23, 1983 in Paris, great personalities such as Ursula Andress or Dayle Haddon are present. The collections are very colorful, we see many shades of pink and red, the flagship color of Kenzo.
The Kenzo fashion show, Spring-Summer 1988 in Paris, October 18, 1987. Lots of floral prints, colourful patterns become emblematic of the house.The Franco-Japanese stylist wanted to sublimate women for the umpteenth time, which is why in 1988 he created the perfume "Kenzo by Kenzo", a real mouthful of fresh air.
In 1993 and 1994, the Kenzo house reveals even more colourful ready-to-wear collections, mixing precious and fluid fabrics with colorful and graphic prints. Celebrities like Jerry Hall in 1976, Tyra Banks in March 1993 or the top model Esther Canadas in March 1998 for the Fall-Winter collection walk for his show. In 1999 Kenzo Takada retired and signed his last fashion show. The Fashion House was sold to the LVMH group to which it still belongs today.
In 2011, Carol Lim and Humberto Leon became the House’s artistic directors.
Here are some pictures from the Kenzo 2011 men’s collection at the Men's Fashion Week in Paris on January 22.
The year 2019 marks a revival for the luxury house since the new artistic director Felipe Oliveira Baptista modifies the logo “Kenzo” to give it a similar look to building games, it becomes "an eminent visual principle, mobile, transformable for multiple creative expressions".
On January 17, 2020 Kenzo Takada decides to join the world of interior decoration and creates K 三 (pronounced K3). In this collection he mixes influences from Eastern and Western Countries, for example he presents a Louis XV armchair covered in Japanese fabric. The Japanese designer presents the interior decoration collection of K 三 salon Parisien Maison et objet and in his shop Boulevard St Germain in Paris. The designer imagines the collection around three themes: "Maiko" which represents the bright red and pink colors, echoes of its roots and the traditional kimonos and make-up of Geishas; "Shogun" minimalist, black and white and masculine and "Sakura", pastel colours and a few golden touches, this theme embodies the theme of harmony and tranquillity usefull to create a cosy atmosphere. Every creation of Kenzo Takada is decorated with a "kintsugi", through this, he pays tribute to the Japanese art of repairing broken porcelain with a golden powder and we can meet it in his creations through patchwork patterns.
Let’s now have a look at the latest Spring Summer 2021 fashion show. Following the death of Kenzo Takada and the outbreak of the COVID-19, Felipe Oliveira Baptista, Artistic Director, wishes to celebrate Life and Nature. The Fashion Show was displayed in the gardens of the National Institute of Deaf Youth, which has had an educational apiary for ten years already. The models walked in outfits similar to those of beekeepers with long printed or sewn veils of fine lace. The various outfits were coloured or printed with floral prints from the Kenzo archives, as a tribute to the great designer (poppies and hydrangeas). But also as an ode to nature and bees essential to the proper functioning of our ecosystem and symbols of strength but also of fragility, they are also the perfect allegory of the period in which we live since it is essential to keep a distance between them and us. The XXL knit and the patchwork pieces decorated with a fine pastel thread recalled the small alveoli of the hives, the very flowery setting brought a soft and calm atmosphere.
The beloved stylist and creator Kenzo Takada has left us but he remains eternal in the essence of the House that bears his name and in our wardrobes. His festive and colourful spirit remains an example of joy and freedom.
"For me to create is to give pleasure, happiness and freedom to be oneself" - Kenzo Takada
𝙴𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚎
Comments