Kenzo Takada
Kenzo Takada (Japanese高田 贤 三Takada Kenzo, born February 27, 1939 in the Hyōgo Prefecture in Himeji, Japan) is a Japanese fashion and product designer who is internationally by his first name Kenzo (no macron ) is known. The in Paris which he founded in 1970, global fashion and cosmetics company KENZO still exists today, but since 1999, undertaken without Takada.
Life as a designer
Kenzo Takada in 1958 began the first male student studying at the Bunka Gakuin Fukusō (English Bunka Fashion College ), one of the most prestigious fashion schools in Tokyo. Takada 1964 came by ship via Marseille to Paris, where he has lived since 1965, after some initial difficulties and changing jobs - the first Japanese designer - 1970 his first fashion show presented and caused quite a stir. The fashion magazine Elle formed one of the models shown on this show from on their front page. This first success joined in quick succession another great success at. In 1970, Kenzo had in the Galerie Vivienne, a boutique called Jungle Jap opened (since 1985 a Jean -Paul Gaultier Boutique). 1971 his collection was shown in New York City and in Japan, in 1972 the crowd was so large that it had to be interrupted in his fashion show, Takada also received the award of " Fashion Editor Club of Japan". In 1976 he opened the first KENZO boutique and its corporate headquarters on the Place des Victoires in Paris, where there is a KENZO flagship store today. His sense of dramatic performances he showed when he held his shows in 1978 and 1979 in circus tents and doing a bareback rider could occur in transparent uniform or Takada even rode an elephant into the ring at the finale.
Takada colorful and spirited fashion in unconventional color and pattern combinations, often decorated with floral motifs, always connected - often inspired by personal travel - " Asian influences with European chic ". 1983 Takada extended his work on men's fashion. The Garment portfolio was also expanded to include the Zweitlininen KENZO Studio, KENZO KENZO Jungle and jeans, children's fashion. Since 1988 also perfumes are sold under the label of KENZO. The first women's perfume whose bottle was decorated with a clasp in rose petals form, was called " KENZO ", the 1991, the first men's perfume " KENZO pour Homme " followed with a bottle in bamboo leaf shape. Since then, other perfumes were launched under the name of KENZO.
1993 sold Takada the KENZO brand for 482 million francs ( equivalent to about 70 million euros ) to the French luxury goods group LVMH, the company was retained as chief designer.
1984 Takada was the French Minister of Culture Jack Lang Knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres appointed. For his humanitarian efforts Takada was awarded in 1999 in New York City the Time For Peace Award in the category fashion.
Takada was 1999 at the age of 60 years and after 30 years as a designer its withdrawal from the fashion world known and retired from the company KENZO, in order to have time for his family and to travel.
Life after KENZO
Was published in 2004 Takada back on the design scene and presented his label Gokan Kobo (Eng. 'Atelier of the five senses '), which was renamed in Takada Kenzo Takada by 2006. Under the brand name home accessories, linens, chairs, dishes, Women's Clothing & Swimwear were expelled. 2007, the brand was discontinued due to moderate success. Takada had retained the trademark rights to his full name after the sale of the brand KENZO at LVMH. Since then he has, inter alia, designed products for the French crystal manufacturer Baccarat, the porcelain manufacturer Royal Limoges, the carpet manufacturer Tai Ping Carpets and Pâtisserie Lenôtre. Mid-2010 showed Takada, who had begun after his retirement from KENZO with painting, ten painted in a Parisian art gallery self-portraits, depicting him in traditional Japanese clothing. Early 2011, was designed by the designer, the interior of a hotel the Sofitel group in Mauritius. Since 2012 he has been involved with a Monaco yacht manufacturers in the design of three catamarans. In the fall of 2012, a high-priced jewelery collection of the Parisian jeweler was 10 Royale launched under the name 10 Royale by Kenzo Takada, had designed for the Takada jewelleries in floral design.
Takada, who is regarded as shy and reserved and broken French speaking, continues to live in Paris and since 2009 has his main residence in Monaco. Its more than 1200 -square-foot Japanese -inspired property on three floors near the Bastille, which he wanted to set up with his former partner, the architect Xavier de Castella († 1990), in which he eventually had lived for 20 years alone, he sold beginning 2009 almost 12 million euros to Pascal Breton, a French TV producer, and was directed to 250 m² in a former boathouse in the 12th arrondissement of Paris a. His extensive art collection was auctioned in mid-2009 for 1.9 million euros from the auction house Aguttes in Paris.