The story of Kenzo
Having arrived in Paris in 1965, Kenzo Takada opened his first boutique, Jungle Jap, in the Galerie Vivienne in 1970. His floral prints, bright colours and blend of cultures shook up Paris fashion. The house joined LVMH in 1993. Its perfumery extended that world of joyful nature: L'Eau par Kenzo, in 1996, played on the freshness of water and water lily. In 2000 Flower by Kenzo, composed by Alberto Morillas, took as its emblem the poppy, a flower with no scent, for which the brand imagined a smell. Its curved bottle and red flower were instantly recognisable, and Flower became one of the great feminines of the decade. Kenzo Takada stepped back from fashion in the late 1990s and died in 2020, while the brand carries on his story under new creative directors.
An olfactory signature
Kenzo perfumes urban nature. Flower by Kenzo shows it best: blackcurrant, hawthorn and rose at the top, violet, rose and jasmine at the heart, then vanilla and musk in a very powdery, almost cosmetic base. L'Eau par Kenzo, by contrast, cultivates transparency: white peach, mandarin and lemon, then water lily, mint and white rose, before cedar, vanilla and musk. Both share a luminous softness that never tips into heaviness. Each is easy to wear.
Which Kenzo perfume to choose?
If you love powdery, vanilla-tinged florals, Flower by Kenzo is the obvious choice: soft, tender and very recognisable. For a lighter aquatic floral suited to summer and everyday wear, L'Eau par Kenzo is the better fit. The first works for evenings and cool days as well, the second for real heat.