Which designer founded the luxury brand Kenzo in Paris in 1970?

Kenzo Takada founded the luxury fashion brand Kenzo in Paris in 1970. The Japanese designer arrived in France in 1964 and became one of the first Japanese designers to make a major impact on the Paris fashion scene.

Takada initially opened a small boutique in the Galerie Vivienne under the name Jungle Jap. Its vivid fabrics, loose silhouettes and combinations of Japanese and European influences quickly distinguished it from more conventional Parisian couture. The shop’s jungle-inspired interior was influenced by the paintings of Henri Rousseau.

The label expanded during the 1970s and adopted the name Kenzo in 1980. Takada became known for energetic prints, floral motifs and designs that treated clothing as playful, culturally mixed fashion rather than rigid formalwear. The brand is sometimes confused with later designers who worked at the house, but Takada was its founder.

He retired from fashion in 1999, while the Kenzo brand continued under new creative leadership. Kenzo Takada died in 2020, leaving behind one of the most recognizable Japanese-founded names in French fashion.