Exhibition about the life of fashion designer Kenzo Takada; colorful clothes that brightened up the fashion world

The Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district is hosting an exhibition on the history of fashion designer Kenzo Takada and his creations.

“Takada Kenzo: Chasing Dreams” is the first large-scale exhibition of his work since his death in 2020, with Takada’s designs sending shockwaves through Western sartorial culture with their creative use of color and materials. Through the exhibitions, visitors can also trace Takada’s life from when he was a student to when he founded his own brand after moving to France, and into his later years.

Takada studied fashion at Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo before moving to France in 1965 — becoming one of the first Japanese designers to do so. Takada opened his Paris store in 1970 to present his first collection.

His innovative use of colours and materials captivated many and he was nicknamed “the magician of colours”. He paved the way for the next generation of Japanese designers to play leading roles in the fashion world.

A wedding dress that Takada presented in his fall-winter 1982 collection is one of the highlights of the exhibition. The dress is made of colorful ribbons with floral embroidery that he collected over a period of about 20 years. Photographs showing the process of making the dress are also included in the exhibition.

Garments made from Japanese fabrics such as tsumugi — a traditional material woven with raw silk — and yukata summer kimono fabric are also on display. Inspired by kimonos, dresses designed by Takada feature straight patterns and loose silhouettes, marking their difference from Western clothing that emphasizes the lines of the body.

Takada’s folkloric creations, mainly from the 1970s to the 1980s, were inspired by ethnic costumes from all over the world, including countries in Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa. They are seen as synonymous with the designer. The exhibition space, filled with brightly colored clothes, is spectacular.

According to the gallery, it is rare to see so many works from the 1970s in one exhibition, because so few remain.

Visitors can also view a chronology of the designer’s life and sketches of his designs. “We hope that visitors will get a sense of Takada’s sincere and warm personality through the exhibitions,” said curator Sunao Fukushima.

The exhibition explains why Takada, who created clothes with a playful spirit that transcended borders and cultures, is still loved all over the world.

The exhibition runs until September 16. The museum is closed on Mondays. Admission is ¥1,600 for adults; ¥1,000 for college and high school students; and free for junior high school students and under.