Famed Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake, who built one of Japan’s biggest fashion brands and was known for his boldly sculpted, signature pleated pieces, has died.
He was 84, reports AP.
Miyake died on August 5 of liver cancer, Miyake Design Office said Tuesday.
Issey Miyake defined an era in Japan’s modern history, reaching stardom in the 1970s among a generation of designers and artists who reached global fame by defining a Japanese vision that was unique from the West.
His origami-like pleats transformed usually crass polyester into chic. He also used computer technology in weaving to create apparel. Miyake’s down-to-earth clothing was meant to celebrate the human body regardless of race, build, size or age.
Again and again, Miyake returned to his basic concept of starting with a single piece of cloth — be it draped, folded, cut or wrapped.
Over the years, he took inspiration from a variety of cultures and societal motifs, as well as everyday items — plastic, rattan, “washi” paper, jute, horsehair, foil, yarn, batik, indigo dyes and wiring.
