Kenzō Takada's Aesthetic is a Legacy to Remember
Designer Kenzō Takada is an inspiration for many designers in the fashion world. His influence on fashion lives on through his eponymous brand’s playful aesthetic.
When Kenzō Takada began his design house in 1970s Paris, his application of Japanese influences and kimono fabrics breathed a new influence into what had traditionally been a Western-focused fashion system. Ever since making his debut, Takada was prominently featured within the pages of L’OFFICIEL, with his work appearing alongside the collections of iconic designers like Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, and Pierre Cardin. After Takada stepped down as creative director in 1999, L’OFFICIEL dedicated its May 2000 issue to the Maison's history and its impact on fashion. Takada’s legacy continued to flourish as he paved the way for other non-Western designers like Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto to enter the Paris fashion scene.
As menswear continues to evolve beyond the basics, the fashion industry can look to the designer as an originator of the colorful and unique elements so often used today. His patchwork designs and graphic patterns for men have persisted as essential to the brand’s codes, even as the artistic direction has changed hands. There was the American design duo Humberto Leon and Carol Lim, who relaunched the brand in 2011, reinvigorating Kenzo’s now-famous tiger motif. Fast forward to 2022, and Kenzo is now helmed by revolutionary Japanese streetwear designer Nigo, whose work continues to reference the brand’s colorful archive—as he injects his own streetwear background into the mix—to honor and maintain Takada’s signature playfulness.
Nigo’s celebration of the brand’s heritage isn’t simply a stylistic nod to Takada’s joyful aesthetic. His debut collection took place at Paris’ Galerie Vivienne—the exact location of Takada’s first show in 1970. As Kenzo continues to refresh its pop identity for each coming generation, the energy at its core remains, bringing a consistent yet ever-morphing sense of electricity and excitement to the worlds of fashion and design.
