News broke yesterday of the tragic passing of true visionary and prince of pleats, Issey Miyake. He was born in 1938 in Hiroshima, where he studied graphic design in Tokyo and then cut his teeth in Paris working under Guy Laroche and Hubert de Givenchy. Many know him for his fragrances, innovative pleat design and avant-garde runways but the man behind some of fashion’s most ingenious collections actually attributes his career and love for fashion design to one of his darkest memories. In 1945, America nuked Hiroshima, where Miyake would have been 7 at the time. He lost his mother to radiation exposure 3 years later. Though very private about the situation, he told the New York Times that the experience moved him to ‘think of things that can be created, not destroyed, and that bring beauty and joy’.
Today, in memoriam of the great Issey Miyake, we look back at his life and legacy; the beauty and joy he bought to so many around him.
Issey Miyake 1994
In 1993, Issey Miyake released his iconic line ‘Pleats Please’. One of his most innovative moments, this line was created with a patented process by the name of ‘garment pleating’ wherein the clothes were pleated instead of the textiles. This allowed for fun, origami-like designs that allowed and even encouraged movement. The above photo shot by Irving Penn for Miyake’s 1994 spring/summer collection shows this vivacious and fluid spirit.
Grace Jones
Sometime in the 70s, when Japanese fashion designers were having a heyday, Club kid Grace jones and Issey Miyake met and thus was born a prolific, artistic relationship. She became his muse, regularly sporting his visionary designs and walking in shows for him such as ‘12 Black Women’ in 1976. She credits him with boosting her career and introducing her to kabuki stances, allowing her to exude power with little movement – the quintessential Jones look.
Steve Jobs
Not many people might know this, but the man behind Steve Jobs’ iconic black turtleneck is actually Miyake. Jobs and Miyake were close friends and Miyake created ‘hundreds’ of sets of the top for him, officially retiring them in 2011 when he passed. Here, pictured in Palo Alto in 2005, Steve Job’s wearing his classic mock black turtleneck, Levis and New balance kicks, something he wore almost religiously.
Issey Miyake 1999
The above piece is from the finale of his 1999 spring/summer women’s collection called ‘Le Feu’. APOC, otherwise known as ‘A Piece Of Cloth’, was the simple basis for this piece that went on to be both a complete piece of clothing as well as just fabric. The beauty and boldness behind this look, as well as the level of design that went into it, is archetypal Miyake and shows he goes far beyond the realm of fashion designer and well into the realm of artist and innovator. He himself claimed he was ‘not a fashion designer’.
Mary-Kate Olsen
Miyake’s designs are loved by a wide variety of people and it’s undeniable his designs touched many. Here, we have Mary-Kate Olsen stepping out in a chic Miyake Gown for the 2013 CFDA Awards. This piece really shows the diversity of his capabilities, he could make fun, unorthodox, bright designs and just as well make a classic black gown.
Issey Miyake 2020
Issey Miyake officially retired in 1997, but his designs and brand have continued to be a prolific part of fashion. The above video shows, in classic Miyake style, the beauty and joy he set out to give embodied in free-flowing and geometric pieces. The brain behind the SS20 show was Satoshi Kondo, who embodied Miyake style perfectly, and we look forward to what else the Issey Miyake brand shall henceforth create.
It is certainly a tragic day for fashion; however, Miyake’s legacy has lived on and will continue to do so. In fact, I defy you to find me one east London fashion girly not reeling from the loss in a pleats please skirt today.
Words By Giuliana Zamudio-Lopez
Header Image: Issey Miyake
