RIP Kenzo Takada, A great loss to the world of fashion, & a great source of inspiration to me (still)
I was very sad to read yesterday that iconic designer Kenzo Takada died of Covid-19. I can't overstate the inspiration Kenzo's life and career was on me. I created  The Cult of K*NZO   in part built on his story. Kenzo was a man who defied societal and cultural expectations to create on his own terms. He was one of the first men in Japan to go to fashion school, one of the first Japanese designers to move to Europe to train and create a brand. He was a designer who found inspiration in the nightlife where he was an active member. He changed the whole cut and shape of women's fashion of his time, moving to looser less restrictive shapes that were a joy to the models and women who wore them. When one has a brand in your name, most lead until the end, but with Kenzo, a desire to keep his label fresh and relevant, led him to decided to step down early, handing it over to younger creative directors. However, he kept creating, working in other forms, starting and collaborating with other labels, and the day before he died, he was at fashion week, there for one last show. You can read more about his life in this  brilliant piece in Vogue. At the very start of Kenzo's label, he could only afford offcuts of fabric he found at the fleamarekt, so he embraced this and made this his signature, boldly mixing prints and patterns. It is this creativity in restriction that I am currently finding very inspiring in the fashion world at the moment, facing similar issues to theatre, in terms of runway shows.
Takada was a trailblazer. This year for me seems so defined by loss. Kenzo was an innovator. His legacy inspires me still