How Japanese Kenzo Takada conquered Paris with robes and taught the world to wear a kimono with a kokoshnik

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

On October 4, 2020, designer and perfumer Kenzo Takada died from complications caused by coronavirus infection. The son of a tea house owner in Hyogo province, he revolutionized the European fashion industry by founding Kenzo, gifted mankind with sweatshirts and taught how to combine kokoshniks with kimonos …

Kenzo Takada was the fifth child in the family. The relationship between brothers and sisters can develop in different ways, but Kenzo was simply adored by his sisters. After all, he drew such fashionable outfits for their paper dolls! The boy skillfully redrawn models from magazines that occasionally fell into his hands. And gradually he began to invent clothes himself - in the end, the sisters demanded more and more new images for their favorites.

Takada himself appointed the oldest sister as a role model. She studied to be a fashion designer, and the young man planned to follow in her footsteps. However, the parents were outraged. Is this a worthy profession for a man? At first, Takada obeyed the will of his parents and studied English literature diligently for a couple of months, but his soul wanted otherwise. After dropping out of school, he got a job as a painter to save money for his dream. Kenzo Takada became the first male in the Bunka Gakuen fashion school, but he did not mind. He liked studying, right after school he found a job as a designer in the Sanai store in Tokyo, sometimes he worked as a model himself … Day and night, at any free moment he leafed through fashion magazines. He learned by heart, remembered forever every detail of the collections of Cardin and Yves Saint Laurent, dreaming of how one day he would work with them, there, in Paris … Kenzo wanted to "dress the round-eyed daughters of the West."

Paris so called and beckoned him that one day - it was 1965 - the young man simply sold all his property, bought a ticket and went to meet the unknown. He did not know anyone in France, he could not say a word in French, but … he believed in himself and his destiny. In addition, Paris terribly disappointed him - pale, dull, gray. And Kenzo Takada decided to give the Parisians color.

In Paris, he took on any job that somehow brought him closer to his dream. He drew sketches for clothing stores, ateliers, even for the circus … In those years, his classmate Atsuko Kondo worked in Paris. Together they founded their first business, Jungle Jap (Japanese Jungle). Even then, Kenzo gave vent to his love for bright colors and crazy prints. He painted the walls with drawings in the spirit of Henri Rousseau, and on the hangers hung loose dresses in such psychedelic shades that it is difficult to imagine. True, the Parisians were in no hurry to buy these multicolored outfits - they came in, admired, tried on and … went away.

At that time, a cult of glamor reigned in Paris. Tight silhouettes, undisguised eroticism … Kenzo with his "colorful hoodies" desperately opposed this trend. And then the protest seventies burst out. Along with Zandra Rhodes, Kenzo Takada became the main designer of the generation, the embodiment of the hippie style on the catwalks.

In 1970, a number of the French Elle was released, on the cover of which a model appeared in a flower Kenzo dress. And he woke up famous. The designer boldly combined elements of national costumes of different nations, creating something globalistic and at the same time echoing in every heart as "native", recognizable. Very often Kenzo used the motives of the Russian folk costume, was inspired by nesting dolls (whose roots are in Japan!). He was the first to start showing "non-couture" collections, which at the same time attracted crowds of spectators. Models (mostly of Asian origin) walked in fluttering multi-layered clothes through squares, museums, circus arena …

For the American market, the designer has created a thing that has become a cult for decades and has entered the wardrobe of almost every inhabitant of the planet, regardless of gender and age. Yes, Kenzo Takada is the "father" of the modern sweatshirt! In the 80s, Kenzo began to create clothes for men, and on the eve of the 90s, his first perfume was released. And it was a small revolution for Kenzo himself - but a big one for the perfume industry. He was one of the first to use the smells of leaves, grass, tropical greenery …

Ironically, the Kenzo name was absent from the brand name until 1984. In Paris, everyone and he himself was called "the Japanese from the jungle" or simply Jap. However, there was a scandal in the United States - the designer received a subpoena from members of the Japanese-American League, who pointed out the unethical use of the word, since in America it was offensive to the Japanese, used as a "hate speech" and accompanied acts of violence. Kenzo changed the name to J. A. P., but after a while he gave up - this is how the Kenzo brand appeared.

Almost nothing is known about Kenzo Takada's personal life. However, the dream of his youth came true: he not only became the founder of a high-profile fashion brand in Paris, but also made a close friendship with his idol, Yves Saint Laurent, and Karl Lagerfeld simply called his brother. Model Saeko Yamaguchi, the face of the Shiseido brand and the first Asian model in the West, is called Kenzo's muse. One of Kenzo's collections is called "Love for Saeko" and is dedicated to the relationship between the maestro and the Japanese beauty.

In 1993 Kenzo sold his brand to the LVMH concern. At the same time, he began to work more actively - he began to produce clothes under various brands: Yume, Gokan Kobo, Takada, created a clothing line for the La Redoute catalog. But six years later he left his fashion house - the time has come for contemplation, reflection … and perfume.

Although Kenzo left the fashion industry and devoted himself entirely to the creation of fragrances and interior design, he retained his authority and influence. In 2012, Kenzo pioneered the triumphant return of sweatshirts, featuring prints inspired by the work of Kenzo Takada from the 80s, and collaborating with H&M in 2016. Kenzo himself dreamed that his brand would become "mass".

Kenzo Takada passed away at 82 years of age. He died in the city that he loved so selflessly and which dreamed of turning into a kingdom of color.