Clockwise from left to right: Issey Miyake, Paris fashion week- Spring 2016/ Signature Issey Miyake curved pleat detail /Classic Japanese ceramic plate/ Issey Miyake- Fall 2015 Collection/ Suntory Museum of Art Tokyo- designed by Kengo Kuma /Issey Miyake Autumn Winter 2016 Collection.

Remembering Miyake
August 5th, 2020, saw the passing of one of Japans greatest fashion designers - the iconic Issey Miyake. His timeless designs spanning more than 60 years have been a continuous source of wonder and inspiration to me throughout my life as a designer, and thus I dedicate this blog to him.
It was the visionary work of Issey Miyake that first ignited my passion for Japanese design. It is passion which has stayed a constant for me throughout my career.
His design approach and philosophy embodies the fundamentals of Japanese Modernism, yet is routed in references from traditional Japanese art and craft. His fashions transcend trend and remain as inspiring and as relevant today as they ever were .

Clockwise from left to right: Issey Miyake Autumn Winter 2017 Collection /Exterior Oribe Tea House by Kengo Kuma/ Interior Oribe Teahouse by Kengo Kuma / Issey MiyakeFall 2021 Clockwise from left to right: Ceramic vessel by Sakiyama Takayuki /Issey Miyake- pleated jacket from Fall 2021 Ready-to-Wear collection /Ceramic sculpture by Tamiko Ishihara.

Design Philosophy Born In Hiroshima in 1938, he survived the atomic bomb of 1945 that caused the eventual death of his mother from radiation poisoning. He never wanted this event to define him as a survivor. As an impressionable 7 year old, he acquired an early understanding of the fragility of life and acknowledgement of inevitable death. This probably gave him the courage to to be continuously experimental in his work and fueled his creativity. He once said the experience inspired him to "think of things that can be created, not destroyed." Forever challenging preconceived ideas on fashion design, he always pushed the boundaries. He redefined fashion in a broader context, seeing his work as part of a much bigger designscape which was deeply influenced by architecture and sculpture. His focus was as much on form and structure as it was on functionality and beauty. His core philosophy and driving design principle seems to be that the clothes should bring the wearer a sense of liberation and comfort allowing unrestricted movement. Design Influences To me, the work of Issey Miyake represents free, uninhibited expression, that blurs the line between, fashion, art and sculpture. One can clearly see the design synergies between his fashions and the work of contemporary architects, artists and sculptors. It can be viewed as an expression of a broader collective design aesthetic that is uniquely recognizable and inherently "Japanese." The famed Architectural designs of Kengo Kuma have echos of the pleated and folded fabrics created by Miyake, as do the beautiful ceramic vessels of sculptor Tamiko Ishihara. 

Clockwise from left to right: Issey Miyake -Paris Fashion week 2015/Origami paper fish/Traditional Japanese origami paper/Issey Miyake 2020 Autumn Winter Collection/Casagrande Ceramic Cloud monument - designed by Kengo Kuma

The relationship between craft and technology ​There is something wonderful that happens when the worlds of ancient craft and modern technology merge together. This is an aspect of Miyake's work and thinking that I particularly admire. So much of his work is drawn from traditional craft references. We see the the folding techniques of origami (Japanese art of folding paper) in much of his fabric manipulation. Origami is said to go back to the 1600's. The earliest known book which features written instructions for origami is Tsusumi-no Ki by Sadatake Ise from 1764. Issey Miyake applied folds and pleats after the fabric was cut and sewn - following the basic origami principle that the paper should not be cut. This was a revolutionary departure from the traditional process where pleats are applied to the fabric before cutting and sewing. He initiated a the idea of making clothing from one piece of fabric without cutting. His collection "A Piece of Cloth" ( known as APOC) uses just one sewing thread. He always experimented with revolutionary fabric manipulation methods, from twisting and crushing to folding and pressing. The art of pleating Miyake continuously experimented with innovative systems of pleating and it is his exquisitely pleated garments that he is probably best known for. As technology evolved so did his ideas and processes. It is the combination of the hand crafted techniques that use paper and hand pressing with modern machine technology, that makes his garments so unique. Years of experimentation culminated in his most successful collection "Pleats Please", where a single piece of polyester fabric is micro pleated, allowing the garment to flow effortlessly. It was always the relationship between the body and the fabric that inspired him. The focus was always first on the textile itself and that it should be non restrictive for the wearer allowing full freedom of movement.

Clockwise from left to right: Issey Miyake - Fall 2011 Ready-to-Wear Collection / Shimonoseki-Shi Kawatana Onsen Koryu Center, Japan designed by Kengo Kuma and Associates / Origami fortune flower / Origami crane Clockwise from left to right: Issey Miyake 2017 Spring Summer Collection / V&A Dundee Museum, Scotland - designed by Kengo Kuma and Associates(2018) .

Clockwise from left to right: Still from Issey Miyake PLEATS PLEASE video / "Form in Motion" sculpture by Fujikasa Sakoto /Laminated glass sculpture by Niyoko Ikuta/Issey Miyake and Irving Penn collaboration 1989/"Sebastian in Issey Miyake" limited edition print 2012.


Throughout his career Issey Miyake was globally recognized for his outstanding body of work and his philosophy towards design. He received more than 20 awards and recognitions from bodies both from within and outside of the fashion world. To name but a few...
In 1976 he was awarded the Mainichi Design Award and was the first non industrial designer to receive this honor, in 2005 he received an award from the Japanese Arts Association for outstanding achievement in the Arts, in 2006 he became the first fashion designer to receive the Kyoto prize in Arts an philosophy for lifetime achievement from the Inamori Foundation in Japan, in 2012 he was awarded " Designs of the Year Fashion award" from the design Museum London.
His contribution to the design community has been enormous and remains an inspiration to all of us who seek to push the boundaries.

Issey Miyake
1938-2022

Clockwise from left to right: Issey Miyake Spring 2020 Ready-to-Wear Collection / "Sakura" (Cherry Blossom) image by Iayungbungur / Issey Miyake 1999 Autumn Winter Collection/
Japanese Cherry Blossom image by Oginskaya.