Obituary of Kenji Kawasaki

Kenji Kawasaki, 55, of Woodside, Queens, NY passed away on January 14th at Elmhurst Hospital after a courageous battle with stage 4 Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Kenji was born in Miyakonojo, Japan and moved to Tokyo in 1984, where he began his career in the fashion industry. He relocated to the United States in 2006, first settling in Greenwich, CT before moving to Manhattan and finally, on December 31st, 2010, Woodside, NY. Kenji's career in textile design spanned over 3 decades during which he helped produce fabrics for major fashion houses around the world such as Yohji Yamamoto, Prada, and Ralph Lauren; perhaps his most notable accomplishment is having designed the fabric for the pink JCrew coat worn by Sasha Obama on Inauguration Day 2009, together with the company's then-designer Doris Bobik. In 2008, he opened a store on Orchard Street called Amoskeag XX, which was named after what was once the biggest denim manufacturer in the United States and featured Americana inspired denim and workwear which Kenji himself designed as well as vintage pieces and other Japanese labels. The fallout from the 2008 economic crisis forced him to shutter his store in 2010. He began working as a textile sales rep at Japanese trading company Takihyo Co. Ltd shortly after, where he met his future wife Kristen. Both exited the company in 2013 and formed their own company, SEAM USA LLC, on February 7th, 2014 to promote sharing and transparent relationships amongst US & Japanese artisans and designers. Kristen and Kenji were married on August 6th, 2014 and honeymooned on Watch Hill, Fire Island together with their cat Domino. They would enjoy many more adventures together over the course of the next 7 years, including a road trip from Sapporo to Miyakonojo. Due to the current pandemic, the family has opted to keep the safety of all friends and relatives in mind and celebrate Kenji's life at a later date. We ask that you keep Kenji and his family in your thoughts and hearts during these trying and difficult times.