Issey Miyaki was an influential Japanese fashion designer known for intricate pleats and signature perfumes.
Pleats Please
Born in Hiroshima, Japan, Miyaki survived the 1945 atomic bombing of the city and later walked with a limp due to the ordeal. As a young designer, he worked with fashion greats including Hubert de Givenchy and Geoffrey Beene. Miyaki founded his own fashion house, Miyaki Design Studio, in 1970, focusing on clothing as a form of design. His avant-garde creations became influential on the fashion of the 1980s. In 1993, Miyaki introduced his Pleats Please line, centering on an innovative process of creating tightly pleated fabric in the style of the legendary 20th century Fortuny pleat. While the Fortuny pleat was of delicate and easily destroyed silk, Miyaki’s used a fabric and a heat process that allowed the garment to be washed without losing the pleats. Miyaki also began releasing fragrances in the early 1990s including the cult favorites L’eau d’Issey and Le Feu d’Issey. In addition to his couture lines, Miyaki also designed uniforms worn by workers at Sony’s Japanese headquarters. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs (1955–2011) lobbied for Miyaki-designed uniforms at Apple’s headquarters; the idea flopped, but Miyaki did design Jobs’ iconic black turtleneck, of which Jobs reportedly owned about 100.
Miyaki on Hiroshima
“When I close my eyes, I still see things no one should ever experience: a bright red light, the black cloud soon after, people running in every direction trying desperately to escape, I remember it all. I have tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to put [these memories] behind me, preferring to think of things that can be created, not destroyed, and that bring beauty and joy. I gravitated towards the field of clothing design, partly because it is a creative format that is modern and optimistic.” —from a 2010 interview for the Telegraph
Tributes to Issey Miyaki
Full obituary: The New York Times
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