He founded Kenzo, a worldwide clothing brand, that also markets skin care and perfumes, Takada was the honorary president of the Asian Couture Federation.

[13] Under the advice of his mentor, and using his compensation money, Takada went on a month-long trip by boat to Paris, stopping en route at various cities like Hong Kong, Saigon, Mumbai, and Marseille.

[15] Takada was a fashion maverick, known for his colorful and free-spirited collections that energized the ready-to-wear runways of the French capital starting in the 1970s.

[6][12]: 142 [18] In 1970, while at a flea market, Takada met a woman who wanted to rent out a small space in the Galerie Vivienne to him cheaply.

With very little money to work with, he mixed and matched $200 in fabrics from the Saint Pierre market in Montmartre, creating an eclectic and bold first fashion collection.

[3][6] Inspired by painter Henri Rousseau, and in particular The Dream, Takada painted the interior of his shop with a jungle-like floral aesthetic.

[23] In 1973-74, he made perhaps his biggest mark on fashion by leading a silhouette change, loosening and increasing the volume of the popular peasant styles of the time to create what came to be called the "Big Look," with "big" meaning voluminous, soon to become the main high fashion trend of the mid-1970s,[24][25][26][27][28][29] a period during which he was cited as originating a number of major trends.

[35][36] Takada proved his sense of dramatic appearance when, in 1978 and 1979, he held his shows in a circus tent, finishing with horsewomen performers wearing transparent uniforms and he himself riding an elephant.

[4] In August 1984, The Limited Stores announced that they had signed Takada to design a less-expensive clothing line called Album by Kenzo.

[48] Takada announced his retirement in 1999 to pursue a career in art,[4] leaving Roy Krejberg and Gilles Rosier to handle the design of Kenzo's men's and women's clothing, respectively.

[49][50] However, in 2005 he reappeared as a decoration designer presenting Gokan Kobo (五感工房 "workshop of the five senses"), a brand of tableware, home objects, and furniture.

[52] In 2010 Kenzo's paintings were the subject of a one-man exhibition in Paris titled "Un Certain Style de Vie", A Certain Way of Life".

[23] That same year, Takada unveiled a new collection with Roche Bobois, giving its Mah Jong sofa new upholstery and creating a line of ceramics.

[60] Takada was in a relationship with French architect Xavier de Castella, who died in August 1990[5] from an AIDS-related illness.