In October 2013, Kenzo Takada was in the front row of the Japanese couture showcase night at Singapore Fashion Week, held at Marina Bay Sands. He was there as the newly named honorary president of the Asian Couture Federation (ACF), and he used the visit to argue that Asian designers could become the industry’s next trendsetters.
He described a “never-before-seen” movement for couture in Asia. He said the region’s cultural diversity and its many traditional crafts gave designers rich material to draw on.
Craft, identity and a contemporary Asia
Speaking through a Japanese translator that month, Takada said the strength of Asian couture lay in close attention to detail and skilled traditional craftsmanship. The challenge, he said, was to make fashion that is distinctly Asian while still feeling of its time.
He hoped that couture from the region would be recognised worldwide for that individuality, and not only within Asia.
He was candid about the ACF role. He said he was very surprised to be asked, because he had never run a couture business. What drew him in was a love of creativity in fashion, whether in haute couture or ready-to-wear, and he wanted to help however he could.
Advice for young designers
Takada told emerging designers to stay “hungry” for inspiration and to learn from their surroundings. He said they should keep a curiosity about the world.
He also urged them to build a clear brand identity and to design for the era they live in. He pointed out that in the 1970s couture was the old way of making fashion. Technology, trends and attitudes towards fashion in Asia had all changed since then, he said, and designers needed to change with them.
He said he enjoyed working with younger creative talents, and that their energy kept him creating.
Singapore, and the label that bears his name
The 2013 trip followed an earlier one. In 2012 he attended the French couture night at Fide Fashion Weeks, which was hosted by Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco. He recalled being impressed that Singapore guests wore couture naturally and elegantly at the gala dinner. He also found the younger people there very trendy.
He said he was happy with the direction Humberto Leon and Carol Lim had taken Kenzo, the label he founded. He praised the way they had won over many young fans.
Although he had retired from fashion in 1999, he said in 2013 that he still designed in other fields, including jewellery and home furnishings. He valued working with specialists in each field, he said, and the way they inspired one another.
That fashion week ran at Marina Bay Sands until 19 October 2013.
What came after
Takada’s retirement in 1999 was not a full exit. In 2001 he introduced a skincare line, KenzoKI. In 2016 he developed a fragrance for Avon. In January 2020 he launched a lifestyle brand, K3. In 2016 he was also made a Knight of the Legion of Honour on 2 June.
He died on 4 October 2020, aged 81, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris. The cause was complications from COVID-19. The Kenzo house announced his death and praised his optimism, zest for life and generosity. At that time he was still the honorary president of the Asian Couture Federation.
The Kenzo label he founded was acquired by LVMH in 1993. It has stayed with the group since then.