After Issey Miyake
Iconic Japanese designer and innovator Issey Miyake began his journey in Paris studying design and practicing in ateliers operated by labels such as Givenchy and Laroche and the American designer Geoffrey Beene. After his training, Miyake returned to Tokyo in 1973, opening his studio and launching his first independent collection in Paris. By the 1980s, Issey Miyake would become an internationally recognized name, representing the new wave of innovative Japanese designers among the likes of Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto. Following his debut, Miyake founded his eponymous label ISSEY MIYAKE, as well as a plethora of diffusion labels presenting innovative designs and tackling issues like sustainability.
Founded upon understanding the relationship between body and fabric, Issey Miyake has emphasized fluidity in design, innovating past traditional Eastern and Western design philosophies. This search led to the creation of “A-POC,” a core tenet of the entire ISSEY MIYAKE family. A-POC, an acronym for “A Piece Of Clothing” is a diffusion label that represents Miyake’s ideal of limiting waste and creating modularity in clothing. With A-POC, Miyake strove to create clothing starting with a single thread and limiting the number of seams, often creating tubular garments made entirely of the same cloth. “Issey-san tried to leave a space for the wearer of the clothes,” A-Poc Director Yoshiyuki Miyamae said in an interview with NSS Magazine. “He thought that the clothes belonged to the wearer and not the designer, and therefore he wanted to leave space and freedom for the people who own the clothes.” A-POC garments will not always necessarily have a “correct” orientation or may be designed to be cut or altered. Miyake saw the wearer as the ultimate decision-maker and designed with the wearer in mind, forming an innovative language in all of his labels.
Through his innovative designs, Miyake created several well-known diffusion labels, most notably PLEATS PLEASE and HOMME PLISSE, both of which are built around the use of pleated fabric. While some pleats are utilized within Miyake’s mainline, PLEATS PLEASE and HOMME PLISSE build their collections entirely around them, creating uniquely fluid silhouettes that do not wrinkle or lose their shape over time. Miyake’s pleats and A-POC principals combined introduce elements beyond pure design, such as math and precision, in which innovative fabrics can be used to create the art-like garments they were intended for as well as complete sculptures found in Miyake’s IN-EI lighting collection.
While most of this innovation has been trailblazed by Miyake himself, the new generation of designers at the helm of the ISSEY MIYAKE fashion-sphere are utilizing their unique perspectives to further the Miyake labels. Satoshi Kondo, the Creative Director of ISSEY MIYAKE since 2019, was shaped and influenced by Miyake as he trained under him for over 15 years before taking on the mainline label’s helm. “Every collection I [have] created with my team is a reflection of what we learned from Miyake,” Kondo said in an interview with Wallpaper*. “Moving forward, as we have always done in the past, we will challenge ourselves to create original, unprecedented clothing that brings a sense of joy and wonder.” Kondo’s familiar but new direction can be seen in his Spring Summer 2023 line, where his “Resonant Suit PB” collection utilizes the classic pleating and design language of Miyake while also implementing a revolutionary new fabric. Within the collection, an entirely plant-based fabric was utilized in which zero petroleum is needed to create the fabric itself, immensely cutting emission costs to produce the fabric.
Following his death in August of last year, Issey Miyake would be remembered as one of the iconic Japanese innovators to prompt significant developments within the fashion industry. The loss of Issey Miyake could be felt by all those who appreciated his design and understood the importance of his innovation. Miyake's impact on the fashion world was immense, starting a pleats revolution and influencing the ways in which designers create sustainably and efficiently. He created with the wearer in mind and made his clothing flow, seamlessly integrating itself with the wearer. Although his journey came to an end, Miyake lives on in the philosophies he taught and is carried on by those who embody his ideals.
Written by Drew Martin, Design: Guhan Sargunan, Social Media: Matthews Naranjo, Videography: Tristan Nigos