The non-stop creator

International designer KENZO says he needs to keep his mind running and try new things to maintain the stimulus of life, in a chat with K. Sunil Thomas.

- K. Sunil Thomas

Kenzo Takada finds it hard to retire. Those in the creative fields could perhaps empathise with this global cultural icon. Back in 1999, Kenzo, who had by then clocked about three decades at the helm of international fashion by setting up his eponymous high fashion French luxury house (now run by LVMH, since the early nineties) famously declared that he was retiring, only to come back a few years later with a line of tableware, home decor and furniture line. As he told THE MAN, “(after retiring), I had no real depth and balance, I needed to find a new goal in life.”

It’s just one of the many lessons we could take from this incredible man of design, entrepreneurial skills and proponent of the art of staying creative in one manner or the other always. Excerpts from an exclusive interview:

After so many decades in fashion, how do you keep your levels of inspiration high or going? Are there moments when you feel you don’t want to continue doing this?

I have to continue working otherwise I would get really bored, I need this stimulus in my life. I love taking on challenges, it keeps my mind running. I love being curious, I love trying new ventures, trying to explore new frontiers. And in order to maintain my general creativity, I try to continuously listen to friends (and) collaborate with my young team, traveling, visiting museums and always maintaining a certain kind of interest in different things.

Working is something that keeps me up-to-date and energised.

You seem to have struck a harmonious balance, leaving fashion at one point in time and then returning and focusing on decor (tableware, etc.). How does this switch in area of focus help? Is it something you would suggest to any person, be it any professional field?