Farewell Kenzo: An Interview With a Design Icon That Will Stay Forever
Kenzo Takada was quite versatile. Founder of Kenzo, the designer pursued his dream throughout his whole life – from fashion to interior design, you name it. Dynamism was a big part of his personality and the designer was one of the living witnesses to the globalization of fashion. We had the pleasure of interviewing Kenzo Takada in Paris when he was launching his new interior design collection, K3, and now we’re presenting you with some of the best moments of the iconic designer.
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One of the first Japanese designers to gain prominence in the Paris fashion scene, Kenzo Takada took a boat from Japan to Paris via Hong Kong and Bombay in the 1960s and never looked back. By 1970, he had created his debut collection, and it was to be the first step in the creation of his fashion empire, which by 1993 was acquired by LVMH.
K3 – The Launch of His Dream
“I wanted to retire at the age of 60 so I left Kenzo in 2000 to retire, to travel. But travel and vacations weren’t enough for me. I needed something exciting, an adventure. After I retired from Kenzo I did a lot of collaborations with several brands such as Roche Bobois and then I realized I wanted a new brand and that’s how I imagined K3. K3 stands for K as Kenzo and the 3 means Enzo. If you read it together, it is Kenzo. But 3 it is also the balance, harmony in the Japanese culture. It is a blend of what Kenzo is today.”
After a long journey in his brand, the fashion designer retired to pursue his dream. In 1999, six years after selling his eponymous brand to the LVMH Group, Kenzo Takada withdrew from the fashion world. Although he was not completely stopped, developing exclusive collaborations in the most varied areas, the Japanese designer confessed to us that he “missed” the work. “Twenty years ago I didn’t want to work anymore, I wanted to travel”, explained the fashion designer, who presented his first exhibition at Galerie Vivienne in 1970, triggering the brand’s success. After a long time doing partnerships and collaborations with the best interior design, cosmetic and perfume brands, the designer ended up creating a concept interior design brand called K3. The high-end interior design brand was presented at a Parisian home show and the new K3 boutique in the French capital.
The brand’s first collection is based on and inspired by Nature and the Japanese cherry blossom Sakura, as well as Maiko (geisha apprentice), with her delicate and refined heart, according to the brand. The final inspiration of the collection consists of the three main concepts of majesty’s powerful and monochromatic expression, the Shogun (military ruler), seen through exclusive prints in bright colors.
All his creations carried a ‘kintsugi’ symbol, in honor of the Japanese art of repairing broken porcelain and ceramics with lacquer, mixed with powdered gold. Japan was the biggest inspiration for the fashion designer. “We’re using the Japanese culture and giving it a more modern and contemporary twist”.
“The idea would be to create a different universe always inspired by Nature and organic shapes, but they would like to develop other themes because today we have 3. The idea is to continue this while developing other themes.”
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