Kenzo

by Antonio Marras, Olivier Saillard, Francesco Bonami (Foreword)

An extraordinary collectible, Kenzo creatively presents forty years of the Paris-based fashion house, founded by Japanese designer Kenzo Takada and now in a resurgence under artistic director Antonio Marras. Established in 1970 by Kenzo Takada, who had arrived in Paris from Japan in 1965, Kenzo is one of the great French houses that transformed global fashion in the latter half of the twentieth century. Now under the artistic directorship of Antonio Marras, KENZO has again achieved critical and popular acclaim. Marras draws from the rich vein of Kenzo tradition as it engages the spirit of the new century. Armed with an unmatched vocabulary in prints and textiles, Marras mines both East and West, the present and the past, to create a collection that evokes, reveres, and reinvents the intentions of its founder. The highlights of Takada’s tenure until his retirement in 1999 are also documented here. The first monograph on KENZO, this lavish volume comes in a real fabric cover, available in three different patterns, and with a pop-up that evokes the romantic textiles, envelopes, and paper craft for which the house’s fashion collection invitations are known.  Additional special features include three double-sided double gatefolds, folding out to the equivalent of eight pages, and three accordian gatefolds, folding out to five pages.  This book is truly an art object in and of itself.

Genres: Fashion

296 pages, Hardcover

First published October 26, 2010

Reviews

[Colton · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as fashion lithographs go, this book is one of the best designed fashion lithographs that I have encountered yet. There are lush photographs of Kenzo's work from 1970 to 2000 and of the work of current creative director Antonio Marras. I also really liked that design sketches were interspersed in between fashion pictorial spreads. The one aspect of the design of this book that wasn't very well executed is that there are pages that fold out into almost poster sized images. Folding these images out from the book and folding them back in was a bit of a hassle. There is a cute pop up book element midway through the book that has flowery designs and the Eiffel Tower. I also wished there was more background behind some of Kenzo's creative process. Overall this is a fun book to look through and if you manage to get your hands on a copy (since I think this book is out of print now) it is a treat to behold.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down one of my favourite books I own. If you have even the slightest appreciation for textiles and print, I recommend this!
Kenzō Takada is the master of clashing prints and daring colour combinations. This book explores that in the most spectacular way. Possibly the best pop up book you'll ever lay your hands on as an adult. The colour is endless. I own the beautiful wine-coloured edition - cloth bound of course!

[Alessia · Rating 5 out of 5]

spettacolo <3