In 1960, he won the prestigious Soen prize and began working for the Sanai department store as a designer of girl's clothing, making up to 40 styles every month.
In 1964, Kenzo moved to Paris. He took some time to settle in, but eventually he started sketching. The revolutionary new outfits by Courreges were the inspiration for a series of 30 designs he made, five of which were accepted by designer Louis Feraud.
Over the next few years, he worked for various department stores, the Pisanti textile group and Relations Textiles