KENZO

Kenzo Takada is a Japanese fashion designer, best known for his eponymous label Kenzo.

Born in Himeiji, Japan, in 1940 to traditional innkeeper parents, his interest in fashion developed at an early age through reading his sister's magazines. Aged 18, following the wishes of his parents, he attended the University of Kobe to study literature. Dissatisfied and bored with the course, he left for Tokyo's Bunka Fashion College - against his parents' wishes - where he was one of the first male students to be admitted.
In 1960, he won the prestigious Soen prize and began working for the Sanai department store as a designer of girl's clothing, making up to 40 styles every month.
In 1964, Kenzo moved to Paris. He took some time to settle in, but eventually he started sketching. The revolutionary new outfits by Courreges were ...