Kenzo

Born in 1939, Kenzo was one of the first Japanese designers to attract public attention in the West. He arrived in France in the mid-'60s and had some sketches accepted by Louis Feraud before being taken on as head of styling in the Pisanti textile firm. In 1970 he opened his first Jungle Jap boutique in Paris.

Kenzo's design ideas included mixing tartans and stripes, creating stunning small floral patterns, and inventing daring colour combinations that are now his signature. He introduced a subtle blend of structured and unstructured styling to French fashion, and his use of flat patterns from Japanese kimonos sparked a revolution in knitwear, while his enlarged armholes changed shoulder shapes. The Kenzo short jacket and short wide trousers became the essence of '80s fashion, and in 1984 his work was formally recognised by the French Minister of Culture.

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