Oct 5, 20202 min read

Kenzo Takada - the passing of a true influencer, and my personal inspiration

In honour and memory of Kenzo Takada, a Japanese-French designer who passed away on October 4, 2020 due to covid-19.

In 1988, Kenzo introduced his women's perfume line beginning with Kenzo de Kenzo (now known as Ça Sent Beau), Parfum D'été, Le monde est beau and L'eau par Kenzo. Kenzo pour Homme was his first men's perfume (1991).

When I first smelled Parfum D’ete in 1988, I fell in love. It took me to a place of serenity and comfort that I’ve never known. A place I wanted to stay in forever in my mind. It was my signature scent for more than a decade, until they reformulated it; by a different nose and reintroduced it in a new flacon.

Again, in 1991, when he launched Kenzo pour homme, I was mind blown and in awe of his artistic expression through scents. To-date, no scent compositions I’ve smelled have given me the same awe and star-struck feeling. It was so unique and unconventional that I bought it as a gift for my partner at the time and it became his signature scent.

Flower by Kenzo, launched in 2000, was listed by Vogue's website as one of the best classic French perfumes of all time. It was just a coincidence that I created a floral composition and called it "Bunga" in 2017, as part of our Memories series, inspired of walks in a blooming garden. My love for flowers and Monet's garden in Giverny, France inspired the composition.

Kenzo Takada inspired me to embrace my heritage and to let the world influence me through the places that I have been, people that I have met and the experiences that have made me richer as a person. Memories of places, people and experiences have become my ongoing source of inspiration that I would translate into my creations.

He may not think that he influenced the world, in all his humility, but to me he played a major influence in my journey of becoming what I am - in always pushing me to create unique and memorable scents to represent the true essence of who I am, where I come from and where I have been. To me, he was a true influencer in every sense of the word.

Rest well, Kenzo-san and thank you for decades of never-ending inspiration you brought into our lives. ❤️