Japanese designer Issey Miyake dies, age 84

Famed fashion designer Issey Miyake, known for his pleated clothing technique, has died at 84.

According to a statement from the Miyake Design Studio and the Issey Miyake Group to FashionUnited, Miyake passed away on August 5 surrounded by his closest friends and collaborators in a Tokyo hospital. He died of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Born in Hiroshima Prefecture, Miyake was seven years old when an atomic bomb hit his city while he was at school.

After graduating from Tokyo’s Tama Art University in graphic design, he moved to Paris to study haute couture fashion design. Here he worked with notable fashion designers Guy Laroche and Hubert de Givenchy.

On returning to Tokyo in 1970, he founded the Miyake Design Studio.

During the late 1980s, Miyake developed a new way of pleating which involved wrapping fabrics in layers of paper and putting them into a heat press, a technique he later became known for.

Pleats, Please

This resulted in the development of his signature ‘Pleats, Please’ collection, one of the many fashion lines he created alongside numerous menswear, womenswear and accessory launches.

In 1997, Miyake announced his retirement, stating at the time that he looked to devote himself to research.

He was later awarded France’s Legion of Honour, the highest French order of merit, in 2016.

The group’s statement continued: “Always a pioneer, Mr. Miyake embraced traditional craftsmanship, while looking ahead to new solutions: the latest technologies, guided by research and development.

“He never once backed away from the idea of ‘making things’.

“He continued to work with his teams, creating new designs, and overseeing all the collections of the different Issey Miyake lines. His spirit of joy, emancipation and beauty will be carried on by future generations.”

The group added that, in line with Miyake’s wishes, there will be no funeral or memorial service.