Miyake Issey Exhibition: The Work of Miyake Issey is a retrospective at Tokyo's National Art Center.
Miyake Issey Exhibition: The Work of Miyake Issey is a retrospective at Tokyo's National Art Center.
TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Issey Miyake has long used a "one piece of cloth" premise, where clothes are crafted from a single roll of textile, as the basis for his design.
Waterfall Body, Autumn/Winter 1984 (1984) —
Issey Miyake has long used a "one piece of cloth" premise, where clothes are crafted from a single roll of textile, as the basis for his design.
courtesy issey miyake/Hiroshi Iwasaki
"Technology allows us to do many things, but it is always important to combine it with traditional handcrafts, and in fact use technology to replicate dying arts so that they are not lost," Miyake says.
Blade of Grass Pleats, Spring/Summer 1990 (1989) —
"Technology allows us to do many things, but it is always important to combine it with traditional handcrafts, and in fact use technology to replicate dying arts so that they are not lost," Miyake says.
courtesy issey miyake/Hiroshi Iwasaki
Miyake has always been an innovator in textile technology. "Technology allows us to do many things but it is always important to combine it with traditional handcrafts and, in fact, use technology to replicate dying arts so that they are not lost," says Mr Miyake.
Square Wool, Vol.4 (2015) —
Miyake has always been an innovator in textile technology. "Technology allows us to do many things but it is always important to combine it with traditional handcrafts and, in fact, use technology to replicate dying arts so that they are not lost," says Mr Miyake.
courtesy issey miyake/Hiroshi Iwasaki
Pleats are another one of Miyake's signatures, which he says enable him to manipulate a single piece of cloth to fit a three-dimensional form.
No.1 Dress, No.1 Jacket (2010) —
Pleats are another one of Miyake's signatures, which he says enable him to manipulate a single piece of cloth to fit a three-dimensional form.
courtesy issey miyake/Hiroshi Iwasaki
This piece from Miyake's first collection features a tattoo print of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. The image was created by Makiko Minagawa, an artist from his studio.
Tatoo, Spring/Summer 1971 (1970) —
This piece from Miyake's first collection features a tattoo print of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. The image was created by Makiko Minagawa, an artist from his studio.
courtesy issey miyake/Hiroshi Iwasaki
"If you look back throughout history from the ancient Egyptians onwards, most cultures started making clothing from a very basic premise: a single piece of cloth," the 77-year-old designer says.
No.1 Dress (2010) —
"If you look back throughout history from the ancient Egyptians onwards, most cultures started making clothing from a very basic premise: a single piece of cloth," the 77-year-old designer says.
courtesy issey miyake/Hiroshi Iwasaki
In the 1980s and 1990s, Miyake used non-traditional materials like plastic, paper wire and even rattan vines.
Flying Saucer, Spring/Summer 1994 (1993) —
In the 1980s and 1990s, Miyake used non-traditional materials like plastic, paper wire and even rattan vines.
courtesy issey miyake/Hiroshi Iwasaki
"Designers must be increasingly sensitive to our Earth's dwindling resources. It is our responsibility," says Miyake, who founded his Reality Lab in 2007 to develop "resource conscious materials".
Horsehair, Autumn/Winter 1990 (1990) —
"Designers must be increasingly sensitive to our Earth's dwindling resources. It is our responsibility," says Miyake, who founded his Reality Lab in 2007 to develop "resource conscious materials".
courtesy issey miyake/Hiroshi Iwasaki
"I am not sentimental about the past," says Miyake. "I like to think about what is next."
Colombe, Spring/Summer 1991 (1990) —
"I am not sentimental about the past," says Miyake. "I like to think about what is next."
courtesy issey miyake/Hiroshi Iwasaki
This garment from one of Miyake's earliest collections shows how fundamental the "one piece of cloth" premise is to his designs.
Linen Jumpsuits, Spring/Summer 1976 (1975) —
This garment from one of Miyake's earliest collections shows how fundamental the "one piece of cloth" premise is to his designs.
courtesy issey miyake