Kenzo Takada was born in Tokyo in 1939. He became one of the first male students at Tokyo's Bunka College of Fashion. After graduation, he moved to Paris to design.
He presented his first show and opened his first store in 1970, and in 1972 he won the Fashion Editor Club of Japan's prize. He opened his first boutique in the United States in 1983.
He launched his junior line, Kenzo Jungle, and his Kenzo Jeans line in 1986. Takada retired in 1999 and his clothing lines are now designed by Gilles Rosier and Roy Krejberg.
His designs are distinctive, and his trademark is the incorporation of elements of traditional Japanese kimonos into modern clothes.