Issey Miyake, who founded one of Japan's biggest fashion brands and was known for his bold sculptures and signature pleated pieces, has passed away. He was 84 years old.
Miyake died of liver cancer on August 5, his design office said on Tuesday.
Miyake defined an era in Japan's modern history, rising to stardom among a generation of designers and artists in the 1970s and gaining international recognition by defining a uniquely different vision of Japan from the West. got a good reputation.
Miyake's origami-like pleats turned the normally humble polyester into chic. He also used computer technology on textiles to create apparel. , was meant to celebrate the human body, regardless of race, build, size, or age. We have chosen not to equate with what we consider consumption. He was famous as the designer of Apple founder Steve Jobs' trademark black turtleneck.
Again and again, Miyake returned to his basic concept of starting with a single piece of cloth.
Over the years, he has drawn inspiration from a variety of cultural and social motifs and everyday items (plastic, rattan, "washi", jute, horsehair, foil, thread, batik, indigo dye, etc.). I got a ration. wiring.
In the late 1980s, he developed a new pleating method in which the fabric was wrapped in a layer of paper and then heat-pressed to retain the shape of the pleats. The dancer's freedom of movement was tested and this led to the development of his signature "Pleats, Please" line.
He creates clothes that go beyond the mundane and seem to reach for the spiritual. I always approve of t-shirts and jeans styles.
"Design is like a living creature in that it pursues what is important to its well-being and continuity," Miyake once wrote in his book.
Impact of the Hiroshima experience
His office confirmed that a private funeral had already taken place and that no other ceremonies would be held according to Miyake's wishes. Miyake was born in Hiroshima, Japan, when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima while he was in his classroom at the age of seven. In 2009, writing for The New York Times as part of a campaign to win the then-President of the United States, President Barack Obama said, "We're going to use the atomic bomb." He said he didn't want to be labeled as a "survival designer."
"When I close my eyes, I see things no one should experience," he wrote, and within three years his mother said they died from radiation exposure.
"I have tried to forget them, even though I have failed. I like to think of things that I can create, rather than destroy, that bring beauty and joy. I was drawn to the field of design because it is a modern, optimistic creative format.”
Laroche, early work with Givenchy
Studied graphic design at Tokyo University of the Arts After that, studied clothing design in Paris, where he worked with renowned fashion designers Guy Laroche and Hubert de. Givenchy before heading to New York. In 1970 he returned to Tokyo and established the Miyake Design Studio.
Miyake became an instant star when he hit the runways in Europe.The cover of the September 1973 issue of Elle magazine featured his combination of Japanese sewing fabrics called sashiko and raw silk knits.
He was a pioneer of gender roles and commissioned feminist Fusae Ichikawa to model for him in the 1970s, when he was in his 80s, and his clothes were comfortable and well worn. I sent the message that we must express the beauty of nature. real humans.
Eventually he moved from his Issey Miyake major for men and women to bags, watches and fragrances before virtually retiring to devote himself to research in 1997. We have developed more than 12 fashion lines.
In 1992, Miyake was commissioned to design the official Olympic uniforms for Lithuania, which had just gained independence from the Soviet Union.
