Kenzō Takada

Kenzō Takada (高田 賢三, Takada Kenzō) is a Japanese French fashion designer. He is also the founder of Kenzo, a worldwide brand of perfumes, skincare products and clothes, and is currently the acting Honorary President of the Asian Couture Federation.

Early life

Kenzo's love for fashion developed at an early age, particularly through reading his sisters' magazines. He shortly attended Kobe City University of Foreign Studies, where he felt bored and eventually withdrew, against the will of his family. In 1958, he joined a fashion school, Tokyo's Bunka Fashion College, which had then just opened its doors to male students.

After earning his diploma, he settled in Paris in 1964. He was trying to gain a place in the fashion environment; attending shows, making contacts with the media and selling sketches.

Fashion career

Kenzo's first designs started because he could only afford to buy his fabrics from flea sales. As a result, Kenzo had to mix many bold fabrics together to make one garment.