Takada, Kenzo, 1939–2020, Japanese fashion designer, the first Japanese designer to win international acclaim. In 1965 he moved to Paris, where he sold sketches to French fashion houses. Five years later he opened a small shop, called Jungle Jap, which sold ready-to-wear, and had his first fashion show. In 1971, one of his designs was featured on the cover of the fashion magazine Elle and he had shows in New York and Tokyo. His flagship store, Kenzo, opened in 1976 in Paris. He subsequently also designed men's and children's wear, and fragrance and skin care products. His brightly colored and lively designs incorporated a loose, unstructured silhouette, using printed textiles with a variety of patterns and textures drawn from Eastern and Western traditions. Kenzo sold his brand to the luxury goods company LMVH in 1993. After retiring from fashion design in 1999, he devoted himself to painting and interior design.
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