Japan’s most famous fashion designer, Kenzo Takada, the founder of the global Kenzo brand, has died in Paris after contracting Covid-19, his spokesman said.

Takada, the first Japanese designer to gain prominence on the highly-competitive Paris fashion scene, died on Sunday in the American hospital of Paris. He was 81.

Takada’s death comes 50 years after he launched his first collection in Paris. He retired from fashion in 1999, six years after selling his eponymous brand to the luxury conglomerate LVMH, and dedicated his time to one-off projects, including a collection at the start of this year.

Takada came to France from Japan in 1965 by boat, landing in Marseille before making his way to Paris. He had planned only a short stay in the French capital, but Paris eventually became his home.

He created his first collection for women in 1970, had his first show for men in 1983 and launched his first perfume, Kenzo Kenzo, in 1988. He was particularly known for his signature floral prints.

The designer inaugurated his flagship store in Paris' Place des Victoires by 1976, and over the next three decades, he racked up numerous accolades and accomplishments -- including a slew of magazine covers, the launch of a perfume empire and, in 1993, his brand's purchase by luxury conglomerate LVMH -- before retiring to pursue other creative pursuits in 1999.
"Kenzo Takada was incredibly creative; with a stroke of genius, he imagined a new artistic and colourful story combining East and West -- his native Japan and his life in Paris," Jonathan Bouchet Manheim, CEO of Takada's K-3 brand, launched in January of this year, said in a statement.
"I had the chance to work alongside him for many years, always in awe, admiring his curiosity and his open-mindedness. He seemed quiet and shy at first, but he was full of humour. He was generous and always knew how to look after the people close to his heart. He had a zest for life... Kenzo Takada was the epitome of the art of living," he added.