kenzo takada

In 1969,the young Japanese designer,Kenzo Takada,created the brand Jungle Jap which revolutionized the fashion industry by offering innovative collections that mocked the traditional conventions of haute couture.While taking his inspiration from Parisian fashion,just as much from traditional Japanese kimonos,he daringly mixed colors,prints,cuts and materials,establishing his unique style:the Kenzo style.His success was immediate,confirming that fashion can be both simultaneously creative while also addressing the mass market.

This book traces more than 40 years of creation,featuring period documents alongside unpublished works(photographs, handwritten letters,and fashion show photos),while also including more than 300 fashion designs from the designer's private collection.Throughout the beautifully illustrated pages,the author-a long-time close friend of the designer-reveals the story of Takada’s celebrated career.He highlights the evolution of a brand,historically renowned for its extravagant fashion shows,that has reached cult status in the fashion industry with its colorful, ethnic and nomadic aesthetic.Kenzo features documentary photographs,never seen by the public,which paint a revealing backstage portrait of the creation of a wedding dress.This book also reveals some of the designer’s more intimate moments,illustrating the life of a man of elegance,courteousness,and joy-never mundane-who could always be found in his atelier,in the midst of creation,facing a canvas,a fabric,a ribbon,a sketchbook,a gesture,or a mannequin to be designed upon…