Design legend: Kenzo Takada knows no retirement

He still works. In the next room some of his employees very well today. Kenzo Takada is in these vast spaces, a magnificent building on the Rue de Sèvres, in the sixth Arrondissement of Paris to the conversation. He has just launched a new perfume, along with the company Avon, which follows in turn from the scent, he has only brought in three years ago. “I simply like to work,” he says.

Jennifer Wiebking

editor in the Department “life,” the Frankfurt General Sunday newspaper.

F. A. Z.

Life Colour, the Name of the perfume, is thus also a reminder that the man Kenzo Takada continues to operate independently, regardless of the brand Kenzo, which is now part of the LVMH group and of Carol Lim and Humberto Leon creative will be responsible for. “You invite me to your Watch, the brand breathes now young mind, this is important,” says Kenzo Takada. “In the beginning, shortly after I had left the house in 1999, it was still strange to the shops, walk by.” They wore still his name.

in 1964, he had come by ship to Marseille, a graduate of the Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo, and little money in the pocket. Since 1965, he lives in Paris. His fascination for colors, and has survived through the decades – the beautiful reception room with floor-to-ceiling Windows, and the many works of art is a good proof.

The step into self-employment, he dared to 1970. As one of the few non-French designers in Paris and at all the first Japanese in Paris, he founded his brand. Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo came later. When he started, was a success, as he should, is actually still a thing of the impossibility. But with his sense for colours and patterns he overcame this hurdle. To the first ladies collection, a Shop, a men’s collection, perfumes, Homewear followed. His style met in the overloaded eighties, a nerve, and had established itself in the aesthetic of portability nineties as classic. The brand Kenzo in the course of the late 20th century. Century around the world, and the man is a legend.

has passed since then, a lot of time, not to see the founder of a small Empire. Kenzo Takada looks like maybe 59, and he is 79. The business of luxury have changed in the past few decades, of course, he says. “Today it is much easier to make a brand or a perfume. Fashion is now less of an art, but it is still artistic. Today, the aim is to reach out to people all over the world, the luxury market needs to respond to many different cultures. For me, this is work, but I also think it’s very interesting.“