Japanese fashion designer Kenzo Takada dies in hospital in Paris after contracting coronavirus
- Kenzo Takada, 81, died in a hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine, just next to Paris
- He is known worldwide under his first name Kenzo and his brand is world famous
- A spokesman said that he died from coronavirus while in hospital today
The Japanese fashion designer who founded Kenzo died from coronavirus today in a hospital in Paris.
Kenzo Takada, 81, died in a hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine.
A spokesman for the fashion star, who was 81, confirmed the sad news, according to RT.
The Japanese-French designer is known worldwide under his first name Kenzo and his fashion brand is famed for its colourful and quirky designs.
Kenzo was known for seamlessly mixing traditional Japanese fashion design with modern western style.
He developed his love for fashion quickly while reading his sisters’ magazines and went to Paris for the first time in 1965 when he was 26.
Kenzo Takada, 81, died from coronavirus in a hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, today
The Japanese-French designer is known worldwide under his first name Kenzo and his fashion brand is famed for its colourful and quirky designs
He had intended to leave Paris and return to Japan after just a few months but because he had vowed not to leave until he had created something there, he stayed longer.
Five years later he used just $200 worth of fabric to create his first fashion collection.
And in the same year, Elle magazine featured his clothing on its front cover.
A spokesman for the fashion star, who was 81, confirmed the sad news, according to RT
Kenzo opened his flagship store, Kenzo, in the Place des Victoires in October 1976. Pictured: A Kenzo catwalk at his autumn/winter 1986-1987 show
As his fashion brand began to steadily grow as more and more people were exposed to it, Kenzo also delved into the perfume world. Pictured: Kenzo’s spring/summer 2019 fashion show
Kenzo releases butterflies during the birthday cake illumintion during the Kenzo Takada Birthday Party as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2019/2020
Japanese fashion designer Kenzo salutes the audience at the end of his’s ready-to-wear autumn/winter 1998/99
Two fashion models wear a haute couture dress and a matador’s bullfighting uniform by Japanese fashion designer Kenzo in 1983
The year after that, he won the Fashion Editor Club of Japan’s prize.
Kenzo opened his flagship store, Kenzo, in the Place des Victoires in October 1976.
He then continued to make a name for himself by holding his fashion shows in circus tents between 1978 and 1979.
The talented designer ended the shows by riding onto the catwalk on an elephant.
As his fashion brand began to steadily grow as more and more people were exposed to it, Kenzo also delved into the perfume world.
Kenzo pictured at his autumn/winter 1991-1992 fashion show in Paris
Kenzo signs one of his paintings during the opening of an exhibition of his work at art auction house Hampel in Munich in 2008
Pictured: The Kenzo collection at Paris Fashion Week earlier this year
Since 1993 the brand Kenzo has been owned by the French luxury goods company LMVH which also owns brands such as Fendi, Givenchy and Marc Jacobs.
He announced his retirement from fashion in 1999 to pursue a career in art, leaving designers Roy Krejberg and Gilles Rosier to handle the design of Kenzo’s men’s and women’s clothing.
Kenzo was awarded a Legion of Honour (the highest order of merit for military and/or civil merits) in 2016. And he was then given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 55th Fashion Editors’ Club of Japan Awards in 2017.
He occasionally ventured back into the fashion world such as when he designed the costumes for Madame Butterfly in 2019.