Designer Kenzo Takada's autobiography, "Dream Memoirs" (published by Nikkei Inc.), has been released. The book reveals everything from his work as a designer to his personal life, love life, the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton acquisition, and behind-the-scenes details from his time with the KENZO brand. It also includes interviews with Yohji Yamamoto and Junko Koshino. A celebration for the book's release was held on April 10th at the Palace Hotel Tokyo in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. Kenzo Takada maintained a position at the top of the Paris Collection popularity rankings from the early 1970s to the early 1980s, and the designs and style he created with the KENZO brand continue to have a strong influence on fashion today. We spoke to him about what he wanted to convey in his autobiography, the reasons for his success, his current relationship with fashion and the Paris Collection, and what he wants to do in the future.


FASHION HEADLINE (hereinafter, FH): Your autobiography, "Dream Memoirs," has been released by Nikkei Publishing. What prompted you to publish your autobiography?

Kenzo Takada (hereinafter, Takada): It was my article "My Resume," which was serialized in the morning edition of the Nikkei Shimbun in December 2016.

FH: I heard that you added quite a bit to the book.

Takada: It's basically the same as "My Resume," but since there wasn't much about fashion in "My Resume," I added sections about 1980s fashion, stories about New York and London, and even some of my personal life. Also, since "My Resume" is a newspaper serial, and there are set limits on the number of characters per issue, I added names of people who were omitted from the original serialization.

FH: You mentioned that this book is about your personal life, but you write quite frankly about private matters, such as meeting and parting with the person who would become your life partner, your acquisition by LVMH, and your personal bankruptcy.

Takata: Of course, it's not 100% everything, but I've written about about 90% of it. I was quite hesitant about how much I should say. Even now I'm not sure if I was right, but since I've already written it, I decided to go ahead and write it as both an autobiography and a memoir.

FH: The serialization in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun morning edition tends to be aimed at male readers, such as executives and businessmen, but the book version will be read by many people, including fashion designers, young women, and students. How do you want people to read it?

Takata: I would be happy if reading about the mistakes I made helps readers in the future, such as by helping them avoid making the same mistakes. I also hope readers will read about my own experiences, as I've always had dreams and taken on new challenges since I was young, which has led me to where I am today.

FH: Regarding your failures, what do you think you should have done differently?

Takada: In the 1970s, I barely thought about business, and only focused on fashion shows and clothing design. I realized that this alone wasn't good enough, and I ended up parting ways with the person who was co-managing the business. Then, in the 1980s, the management changed, and business became the focus instead. I focused on creation and left management entirely to others, but I wish I had thought carefully about the future and management at the time and created a company structure that allowed both creation and business to coexist. I also regret selling my shares in the brand to LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. I think that was a very rash decision on my part.

FH: In the section titled "The Waves of the Times," you mention how your Spring/Summer 1973 collection topped the popularity rankings of Journal de Textile, remaining in the top three until around 1983, but then your rankings plummeted from the late 1980s.

Takada: I didn't pay much attention to the popularity rankings myself, but as they dropped from 1st to 2nd and 3rd place, I started to notice, and so did everyone else at work. Of course, it was stimulating, but it was tough to see your rankings steadily drop from 1983 onwards. I knew that I was gradually losing focus on collection creation and that business was becoming the main focus. In the 1970s, I was so focused on the collections that I was criticized for focusing too much on the collections, and editors who thought it was okay to see your shows would ask, "I want to use this outfit in a photoshoot. Where can I buy it?" when many of the clothes were not actually for sale. However, in the 1980s, journalists started telling me, "We want you to create more interesting clothes not only in your business but also in your collections."

FH: You also write about conflicts with your co-manager, but it's difficult for a creator to balance design and business alone. You need a good partner.

Takata: Partners are very important for a designer. I didn't think much about it at the time, but I'm very envious of the fact that Pierre Bergé was at Yves Saint Laurent. If you visit the Saint Laurent Museum, you'll see that Bergé has preserved almost all of Saint Laurent's materials from his first collection. I think it's amazing to have a great partner who supports you not only in terms of management but also in your creations. I used to have a woman named Junko Kondo at my company, who would carefully manage my materials and other things. I think it's very important to work with a partner who is both a co-manager and also manages your creations. After all, there's only so much a designer can do alone.

FH: On the other hand, what is the reason for your success as a fashion designer?

Takada: I knew what I wanted to do since I was in high school, so I think it was good that I pursued what I wanted with a sense of adventure, such as going to Paris.

-- On the next page, Takada Kenzo's thoughts on Kenzo today. And about the recent Paris Collection