Contents
Issey Miyake
Developing Pleats Please and experimental clothing that combines textile technology with freedom of movement.
Pleats Please · A-POC
- Born
- 22 April 1938
- Birthplace
- Hiroshima, Japan
- Died
- 5 August 2022
More people
Issey Miyake
Issey Miyake was a Japanese designer who investigated what a piece of cloth could become. Pleating, lightweight materials and collaborative research made his work influential in both fashion and design.
Early life
Hiroshima childhood
Survived the atomic bombing as a child; his mother died from its effects.
Graphic design training
Graduated from Tama Art University before studying fashion and working in Paris and New York.
Career
- 1970
A Tokyo studio
Founded Miyake Design Studio after returning to Japan.
- 1973
Paris collections
Began presenting his work in Paris.
- 1993
Pleats Please
Launched the clothing line developed through experiments in garment pleating.
- 1998 onwards
Research-led design
Developed A-POC with Dai Fujiwara and later concentrated increasingly on new materials and processes.
Selected work
Pleats Please
Lightweight clothes retain their pleats while allowing easy movement and washing.
A-POC
A Piece of Cloth explored garments made from a continuous knitted tube.
21_21 Design Sight
A Tokyo design centre he helped establish.
132 5.
Folded forms open into three-dimensional garments made with recycled material.
Beyond the studio
A public appeal
Wrote about surviving Hiroshima in 2009 while calling for nuclear disarmament.
Creative friendships
Collaborated with artists and photographers, including a long partnership with Irving Penn.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Museum or specialist research ↗Photo: Hsinhuei Chiou. CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
