TAKADA KENZO: CHASING DREAMS
HAPPENINGText: Alma Reyes
From 1990, Takada struggled in his personal life with the passing away of his companion and illness of his business partner. He decided to sell his KENZO brand to the LVMH corporation in 1993. He stated, “Everything had become too commercialized. Fashion was changing, the pace of work was changing.”
Installation view, Takada Kenzo: Chasing Dreams, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery. Photo: Kenji Takahashi
Nevertheless, Takada continued to hone his craftsmanship through special projects. In 1992, he designed the costume for The Jewel Woman from Parfum de Paris by Takarazuka Revue as displayed. In 1994, he decorated the decks of the Pont Neuf bridge with glittering flowers, as illustrated in his painting on show. Also striking is his design for the 2004 Athens Olympics Japan National Team official uniform, embellished with flowers. In the same year, he embarked on a new brand, Gokan Kobo (studio of the five senses), comprised of tableware, home objects, and furniture. He also went back to his love of painting, of which several pieces are on show.
Installation view, Takada Kenzo: Chasing Dreams, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery. Photo: Kenji Takahashi
The final grand room presents a huge stage of multi-varied folklore-inspired attires representing Japan, China, Romania, Russia and Africa against a wall-to-wall panel of absolutely gorgeous polychromatic flowers. Takada’s deep regard for ethnic costumes, specially in the 1980s, encouraged him to combine three-dimensional cutting and flat cutting while playing with a mixture of patterns. This approach evoked his ideal of borderless and genderless fashion.
An exclusive hallway is also dedicated to the designer’s countless croquis drawings, many reflecting the actual garments in the show.
Kenzo Takada passed away at 81 years old in Paris in 2020. He was not only a visionary in the propagation of individuality, character and novelty in design, but also a man of integrity, humility, and passion for beauty of life. As he once conveyed, “I’m proud that maybe I brought something worthwhile to the world – a touch of joie de vivre, a bit of a change.”
Takada Kenzo: Chasing Dreams
Date: July 6th – September 16th, 2024
Hours: 11:00 – 19:00
Closed on Mondays (Tuesday if the Monday is a public holiday)
Place: Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery
Address: 3-20-2 Nishi-shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Tel: +81 (0)50 5541 8600
https://www.operacity.jp/ag/
Text: Alma Reyes
Photos: Kenji Takahashi. Courtesy of Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery
