When Kenzo Takada arrived in Paris in 1964 at the of 25, after travelling from Japan's Yokohama via boat and train, he brought with him an effusive energy that he retained throughout his career, expressed in exuberant prints, naturalistic motifs, and form-liberating silhouettes. ‘His creations were always colourful and full of joy,' Clara Vivien, fashion specialist at Parisian auction house Artcurial, says of the designer, who passed away in October 2020, aged 81. ‘His is a style that does not take itself seriously. With everything we’re going through right now we need light-heartedness, and positivity.'
A sense of optimism is certainly something to take from Artcurial's latest fashion sale. This comprises two auctions: an online sale from 3 to 12 May 2021; and a physical sale on 11 May. These feature 150 voluminous and colourful fashion pieces – spanning kimonos to coats, finished designs to uncompleted toiles – and more than 600 personal art and design objects, from the Haussmannian apartment Takada lived in for 15 years, in the centre of St Germain Des Près in Paris.
Drawing by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac for the catalogue of the Kenzo Takada Collection auction at Artcurial
The auction’s ready-to-wear pieces include designs from 2005 to 2008, which were originally made for the Takada brand and have been recreated by Artcurial from the label’s lookbooks.
The auction house previously recreated pieces for its Martin Margiela: Anvers & Contre Tous auction, in 2019. ‘It is very interesting to work this way because it brings a certain strength to the pieces presented and it allows us to retranscribe the work of the designer and his vision,’ says Vivien. She credits a voluminous pleated opera bolero jacket as a standout Takada redesign.
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Interior and art objects for sale span centuries and genres. Among the pieces are Ming dynasty vases, Baccarat glassware, lithographs by Jean Cocteau, Pierre Paulin chairs, and Edo-period Japanese tableware. They reflect the diverse and inclusive approach that Takada brought to the much narrower world view of fashion design in the 1960s. His is a vision to be treasured now and in the future.
Interior of Kenzo Takada’s apartment, Kenzo Takada Collection, © Pearl Metalia – Thomas Hennocque. Courtesy of Artcurial
Orange and red changing silk taffeta evening coat, belt, by Takada A/W 2007.
Interior of Kenzo Takada’s apartment, Kenzo Takada Collection
Interior of Kenzo Takada’s apartment, Kenzo Takada Collection, © Pearl Metalia – Thomas Hennocque. Courtesy of Artcurial
Kenzo Takada, archives © DR. Courtesy of Artcurial
Opera bolero in caviar jacquard, by Takada, A/W 2007.
Interior of Kenzo Takada’s apartment, Kenzo Takada Collection
INFORMATION
Online auction takes place 3-12 May 2021. Physical auction takes place on 11 May 2021 in Artcurial’s Paris headquarters.
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