Kenzo founder Kenzo Takada, 81, dies from Covid-19

Kenzo founder Kenzo Tadaka
Kenzo founder Kenzo Tadaka

Kenzo Takada, the founder of French luxury house Kenzo, has died aged 81 in a hospital near Paris. 

A spokesman said the death was linked to Covid-19 complications. 

The Japanese designer moved to Paris in 1964 to start his career, founding the Kenzo label in 1970, which is now owned by LVMH. Kenzo Takada resigned as the brand’s creative director in 1999 to pursue a career in art. 

“It is with great sadness that I have learned the passing away of Mr Kenzo Takada,” said Felipe Oliveira Baptista, creative director at Kenzo. “His amazing energy, kindness, talent and smile were contagious. His kindred spirit will live forever.”

Kenzo Tadaka was famous for his Japanese-European influenced style with bold colours and mismatched prints. He once shared that fellow designer Yves Saint Laurent was an important inspiration in his work. 

Earlier this year, the creator launched an interior brand called K3, marking a comeback in the design world. 

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