Kenzo Takada, 81, died in the American hospital in Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine, says his spokesman.
Japanese fashion designer Kenzo Takada, better known as Kenzo, died of COVID-19 at the age of 81, according to his spokesman.
Takada was hospitalized at the American hospital in Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a residential suburb on the western edge of the French capital, the spokesman told several French media on Sunday.
His death comes 50 years after he launched his first collection in Paris.
In 1999, six years after selling his eponymous fashion brand to the luxury conglomerate LVMH, he retired from fashion and devoted his time to one-off projects, including a design collection earlier this year.
Takada, best known for his characteristic floral prints, came to France by boat from his native Japan in 1965 and landed in Marseille before heading to Paris.
He had only planned a short stay in the city, but Paris eventually became his home.
In 1970 he created his first collection for women, in 1983 his first exhibition for men and in 1988 his first perfume, Kenzo Kenzo.
So far, France has recorded 629,509 confirmed coronavirus infections and 32,171 deaths.
With cases on the rise in recent days, authorities are expected to put in new curbs to help slow the spread of the virus. On Saturday alone, officials reported 16,972 new COVID-19 infections, the highest daily number since extensive testing began.
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