Issey Miyake, One Of Japan’s Most Famous Designers, Passed Away At The Age Of 84
It is with great sadness that we inform you that Issey Miyake, a fashion designer who built one of Japan’s biggest brands, is no longer among us.
He is known for his boldly sculpted pleated pieces and for Steve Jobs’ black turtlenecks. He was 84 years old when he passed away.
Miyake died of liver cancer on Aug. 5, the Miyake Design Office announced on Tuesday.
In the 1970s, Miyake became one of the most popular designers and artists in Japan during a generation of Japanese designers and artists that went on to achieve global fame by defining an original Japanese vision that was unlike any seen before in the West.
It was Miyake’s origami-like pleats that transformed polyester from a crass material into something chic and stylish.
Furthermore, he was also able to create apparel using computer technology through the use of weaving.
Issey Miyake, One Of Japan’s Most Famous Designers, Passed Away At The Age Of 84
The down-to-earth clothing he designed was meant to celebrate the human body regardless of race, body type, size, age, or gender.
He resented even being called a fashion designer, as he did not want to be associated with what he considered a frivolous, trend-watching, conspicuous consumption of fashion.
Issey Miyake was known for returning to his basic concept of starting with a single piece of cloth – no matter how it is draped, folded, cut, or wrapped – over and over again.
Through the years, he has taken inspiration from a wide variety of cultures and societal motifs, as well as everyday items such as plastic, rattan, “washi” paper, jute, horsehair, foil, yarn, batik, indigo dyes, and wiring.
The artist sometimes evoked images of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin in his work or collaborated with Japanese painter Tadanori Yokoo to depict monkeys and foliage in vivid, psychedelic hues in his paintings.
The artist also collaborated with furniture and interior designer Shiro Kuramata, photographer Irving Penn, choreographer Maurice Bejart, pottery maker Lucie Rie, and Ballet Frankfurt as well as with furniture and interior designer Shiro Kuramata.
In 1992, just a few months after Lithuania gained independence from the Soviet Union, Miyake was commissioned to design the official Olympic uniform for the country.
When Issey Miyake hit the European runways in the 1950s, he was a star as soon as he hit the Hiroshima runways in 1938.
It was a brown top, which featured a combination of Japanese sewn material “sashiko” and raw silk knit, which was splashed on the cover of Elle magazine’s September 1973 issue.
During the 1970s, Miyake also pioneered the idea of women’s roles by asking the feminist Fusae Ichikawa, who was in her 80s at the time, to be his model, sending a powerful message to the fashion world that clothing must be comfortable and express the natural beauty of women.
In spite of the fact that he made clothes that went beyond the mundane, appearing to reach for the spiritual, he made a point to never be pretentious, always approving of the T-shirt and jeans look.
According to Miyake, “Design is like a living organism in that it pursues what is important for the well-being and continuity of its existence,” as stated in his book of the same name.
It has been confirmed by Miyake’s office that a private funeral was already held and that no other ceremonies will be held in accordance with his wishes.
There is no information regarding Miyake’s family life, and his survivors are unknown at this time.