Kenzo Designers I - Kenzo Takada

Born in Hemeji Japan in 1939, Kenzo Takada used just his first name when he launched his own label.
Mixing Japanese sensibilities and balance with European elegance, He studied at the Bunka College of Fashion. He worked in Japan after graduationa and moved to Paris in 1965.
Kenzo's designs are distinctive. One of trademark designs in incorporating the elements of the kimono, the Japanese traditional dress in modern clothes.
Kenzo is a a great colorist and a fine tailor, mixing multi-cultural aspects and converging them into one.
Kenzo menswear was designed by Roy Krejberg after Kenzo's retirement until December 2003 when the designer left the house. His last collection was shown during the Fall 2003 Paris Menswear season held last January 2003.
Gilles Rosier designed the womenswear line after Kenzo retired. He left the house in 2003.
After Rosier, Antonio Marras was hired as Creative Director for womenswear and he debuted in Paris during the Fall 2004 season.

Source: http://www.fashionwindows.com/runway_shows/kenzo/default.asp

Theme of Kenzo Spring 2009

The designer, Antonio Marras, invited his audience into a storybook fashion fantasy, inspired by 'Alice in Wonderland' and Victorian flower-collectors, in his spring/summer 2009 collection for Kenzo, at the Paris prêt-à-porter season.

	Alice in Wonderland: Storybook fantasy at the Kenzo spring/summer show

Bouquets of flowers, botanical embroideries and satin, chiffon and gabardine in mossy and pastel shades, recreated the dreamy sauntering of "Alice" in a sun-withered garden.

Against a set of larger-than-life wildflower books, piled up as if on a drawing-room table, the models paraded in watercolour florals and brighter, herbaceous border-patterns. They resembled "flower fairies", with their piled-up hair strewn with feathers and their faces made-up with sparkle eye-shadows and shimmering rose blush-on.

Smock-dresses came with delicate bodices embroidered with crystals and pearls. Longer, empire-line dresses, with rise-and-fall hemlines which disclosed petticoats of lace and flounces, had shoulder-straps embellished with tiny shells and beads.

Puffball dresses were crocheted in gold-tinged yarn, scattered with sequins, over tutu-underskirts, while jewel-embroidered knits were worn with loose-cut trousers, tapering to the ankle

Article from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/main.jhtml?xml=/fashion/2008/10/04/efkenzo2104.xml