Takada Kenzo, founder of ‘Kenzo’, is known for his designs blending together ethnicity and exoticism. Many of his designs incorporate a number of different layers of fabrics and prints along with experimenting with volume and tailoring. The prints are often brightly coloured tribal or florals and are mixed with plainer fabrics such as grey flannel or white cotton. He is inspired by remnants, old finds and ethnicity. His designs started as a ‘mis-match’ in this way due to him only being able to afford to buy fabric scraps from flea sales. Therefore, Kenzo created bold combinations of fabrics to make singular garments. In 1978 he was quoted as saying, “it pleases me when people say I have influence, but I am influenced by the world that says I influence it. The world I live in is my influence.” It is clear to see just how much the world has influenced Kenzo’s designs by looking at many of his collections to date. They have included Scandinavian knits, Romanian peasant skirts, Native American styling of beads, feathers and ziggurats, and East Asian batiks.
Antonio Marras took over as creative director of Kenzo in 2008 and continued the use of bold colours, clashing prints and textures, drawing inspiration from his native Sardinia. His Spring/Summer 2011 collection could be said to be one of Kenzo’s most famous. He managed to marry together many cultures successfully, for instance, applying the volume of kimonos to more traditional Parisian dresses. Recently, designers of New York fashion label ‘Opening Ceremony’, Carol Lim and Humberto Leon, have taken over the brand in an attempt to ‘liven it up’. Their first collection for Kenzo Spring/Summer 2012 was inspired by their own archives and the bright, clashing paintings of artist Ellsworth Kelly. The duo ‘took the spirit of the house’ by revolving the collection around colour, print and proportion but added their own touch by designing new prints and creating modern looking clothing which still retained the chic Parisian ideal.
Stocked in Kenzo stores, exclusive boutiques and Harrods, Kenzo fashion is obviously not accessible for much of the public. However, in 2010, Kenzo collaborated with Dubai based fashion brand ‘House of Glamo’ to create limited edition T-shirts that were given to people going to the Dubai Film Festival that year. The label also designs furniture coverings, household items and perfume. Like their fashion style, Kenzo perfumes mix together different aromas from many parts of the worlds. Signature fragrances include ‘Flower by Kenzo’ and ‘Kenzo Amour’ which aim to merge together East and West and express ideas of travelling the world. Starting at about £45.00 for 100ml these perfumes are one way that the public can buy into this high fashion label.
Takada Kenzo himself had to fight to establish himself within the fashion industry. After school he went to the University of Kobe but withdrew to go to Tokyo’s Bunka Fashion College against his family’s will. In 1964 he moved to Paris and managed to make a living by selling his runway illustrations. Seeing as these were days before the internet allowed easy distribution of fashion, Kenzo managed to create many contacts within the industry for himself by issuing copies of his hand-drawn sketches of the important fashion concepts. These drawings allowed other designers to reinterpret popular trends for their own clients. It was this networking that helped Kenzo in succeeding to form his own successful fashion label.
Antonio Marras took over as creative director of Kenzo in 2008 and continued the use of bold colours, clashing prints and textures, drawing inspiration from his native Sardinia. His Spring/Summer 2011 collection could be said to be one of Kenzo’s most famous. He managed to marry together many cultures successfully, for instance, applying the volume of kimonos to more traditional Parisian dresses. Recently, designers of New York fashion label ‘Opening Ceremony’, Carol Lim and Humberto Leon, have taken over the brand in an attempt to ‘liven it up’. Their first collection for Kenzo Spring/Summer 2012 was inspired by their own archives and the bright, clashing paintings of artist Ellsworth Kelly. The duo ‘took the spirit of the house’ by revolving the collection around colour, print and proportion but added their own touch by designing new prints and creating modern looking clothing which still retained the chic Parisian ideal.
Stocked in Kenzo stores, exclusive boutiques and Harrods, Kenzo fashion is obviously not accessible for much of the public. However, in 2010, Kenzo collaborated with Dubai based fashion brand ‘House of Glamo’ to create limited edition T-shirts that were given to people going to the Dubai Film Festival that year. The label also designs furniture coverings, household items and perfume. Like their fashion style, Kenzo perfumes mix together different aromas from many parts of the worlds. Signature fragrances include ‘Flower by Kenzo’ and ‘Kenzo Amour’ which aim to merge together East and West and express ideas of travelling the world. Starting at about £45.00 for 100ml these perfumes are one way that the public can buy into this high fashion label.
Takada Kenzo himself had to fight to establish himself within the fashion industry. After school he went to the University of Kobe but withdrew to go to Tokyo’s Bunka Fashion College against his family’s will. In 1964 he moved to Paris and managed to make a living by selling his runway illustrations. Seeing as these were days before the internet allowed easy distribution of fashion, Kenzo managed to create many contacts within the industry for himself by issuing copies of his hand-drawn sketches of the important fashion concepts. These drawings allowed other designers to reinterpret popular trends for their own clients. It was this networking that helped Kenzo in succeeding to form his own successful fashion label.
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