Death of Japanese designer Kenzo following Covid-19
Kenzo Takada during a photoshoot in November 2018 in Paris.
JOEL SAGET / AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
The most famous of Japanese fashion designers, Kenzo, died this Sunday, October 4, from Covid-19 at the age of 81, a spokesperson announced.
Publicity
Read more
Kenzo Takada was the first Japanese designer to make his mark in Paris, where he made his entire career and made his name famous.
"
In Japan, there are a lot of protocols, while in Paris, as I didn't know many people, I did what I wanted,
" he told RFI, in an
interview in December 2018
.
The designer, who sold his clothing brand to giant LVMH in 1993 and retired from fashion six years later, is known for his graphic and floral prints.
The designer with the look of an eternal teenager had launched a design line at the beginning of the year.
"
Kenzo Takada died on Sunday October 4, 2020 at the American Hospital of Neuilly-sur-Seine as a result of the Covid-19
", said his spokesperson in a
press
release on Sunday, while the Week of the Parisian fashion.
"
I miss it a bit
"
Born February 27, 1939 in Himeji near Osaka, Kenzo Takada is passionate about drawing and sewing, taught to his sisters.
He arrived in France in 1965, by boat in the port of Marseille, and went up to Paris, which fascinated him.
He who thought he was only passing through settled there definitively.
His first collection dates from 1970, designed from a boutique in the Galerie Vivienne.
He moved in 1976 to a larger location, Place des Victoires, and founded his brand under his first name alone.
His first line for men dates from 1983, his first perfume (Kenzo Kenzo) from 1988. In 1993, the brand was bought by the luxury group LVMH.
Kenzo Takada left fashion in 1999, for more specific projects.
“
It was a big responsibility and a huge pressure.
I did this for 30 years!
So at one point, I wanted to stop.
But in the end, I miss it a bit.
We cannot have everything
, ”he confided to RFI two years ago.
With his “
nearly eight thousand designs
”, the Japanese designer “
has never stopped celebrating fashion and the art of living,
” said his spokesperson.
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Fashion
Coronavirus
On the same subject
Fashion
Fashion: Kenzo Takada, the most Parisian of Japanese designers