Designer-turned-artist Kenzo shows paintings

[June 17, 2010]  PARIS (AP) -- Designer Kenzo Takada, who founded the upscale Kenzo label, has tried his hand at painting, with a Paris exhibition of eight self portraits.

The large-scale paintings shown at the Studio 55 gallery in Paris feature the Japanese-born designer in a series of flower-printed kimonos that recall the kinds of prints his label is known for.

"Art and fashion are really not that different," Takada told The Associated Press in an interview.

Kenzo, who was born in 1939, leapt to fame in the 1980s with a high-end ready-to-wear line that gave Western garments an eastern touch. He says he started painting 10 years ago, after he sold his label to French luxury goods giant LVMH and subsequently retired.

The exhibit runs through July 10.

[Associated Press]

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