Designer: Issey Miyake

In 1935, Issey Miyake was born in Japan. His mother was injured in the atomic bomb explosion in 1945 and died a few years after the war. During his childhood, Japan was still a poor and devastated country. The Western fashions brought to Japan during the American occupation: Marilyn Monroe, Mickey Mouse, television and frozen food, all left a deep impression on him as a child. At that time, many Japanese yearned to go to the United States and live an American-style life. Did this also leave a trace in his memory that would later lead to the development of a Chinese-Western style?

Beginning in 1959, Issey Miyake studied painting at university in Tokyo, but his real dream was to become a fashion designer. In 1965, he arrived in Paris, the fashion capital, which seemed to be far away from him. The ideal is not too far away. While in Paris, he continued his studies and began working for the House of Giraroche, and in 1968 with Givenchy. Soon after, he worked for Gough Lebien in New York, a designer who was a master of elegance. . In 1970, he really started to set up his own studio, and released his first fashion show in 1971. The show was held in New York and Tokyo at the same time and was a success. He also entered the design career of a fashion master. .

Compared with Issey Miyake’s fame, his financial gains have always been a mystery, because similar news is always shrouded in mystery. What we can know is that between March 1993 and March 1997, During the period, the "I want pleats" brand line alone sold 680,000 coats, and about 210,000 other series of clothes are sold around the world every year. In 1997 alone, he opened 13 stores, bringing his total number of stores to 109. In addition to fashion, his business scope also includes bags, homewares and bicycles. His most important locations are in Paris, Tokyo, New York and London.

The deepest impression of Issey Miyake is obviously that of the East: his unhurried pace, his dedicated work attitude, his precise grasp of time, and his desire to become the master of time. Educated, with a sense of humor, and pragmatic thinking, for example, he hopes that the clothes he designs are light and comfortable, rather than a formal style of sitting at the table for four people to have a formal dinner. Issey Miyake can speak English and French extremely fluently. He looks a bit like a wealthy Egyptian businessman, with a calm complexion, slightly curly black hair, combed back and a mustache. The silver-gray British DAIMLER car with a driver often appears on the streets of Japan, and there is his white boat-hull-like villa on the Seine River. But for him, enjoying a vacation is a luxury. He spends more time being famous as a "flying designer".

Issey Miyake likes beautiful girls because he said that the beautiful girls he sees on the street are his never-ending source of inspiration. His taste is simple and elegant. This also affected his design.

Once an art student and later a fashion designer, Issey Miyake faced two important confrontations: the confrontation between pure art and commercial activities (whether to be a successful photography artist or a women's wear designers) and the confrontation of fashion (Parisian haute couture and American ready-to-wear fashion), he very carefully found the balance in the middle and, it should be said, established his own unique position. The charming parts of his character: his child-like laughter, his ability to create a relaxed environment, his close contacts with contemporary artists, his harmonious relationship with his collaborators, etc., all provided him with certain tools to build his fashion empire. guarantees. In his studio, the typical working situation is: 10 assistants with an average age of 25, providing timely on-site reflections on his ideas. There was no music, no cigarettes, everything was well-organized, but very elegant and not rushed at all. Everyone performed their duties, and what they saw was the scene where clothes were displayed or passed around. On the wall is a series of pictures to provide detailed reminders of the upcoming conference. Perhaps mixed in among them are oil paintings of horse herders in Tibet, China. Among them, the master is at work, and every gesture can be understood in time. In his opinion, work is a very happy thing. He still has a lot to do.

Issey Miyake's clothing is said to be the result of "East meets West". His purpose is to free the people who wear his clothes from the constraints of clothing structure, but also to express unique physical beauty.

As a result, he created easy-to-move clothing full of oriental characteristics, which was highly praised by many consumers. His clothes always pursue attractive colors and perfect fabric feel. Gentleness and thoughtfulness are also his reflection of what the human body needs. The optimal combination of style, fabric weight and human body is one of his specialties. If we go to his store, we can see clothes that only weigh a few ounces, glowing blue like jewels from the deep sea, maybe looking like huge shells, or like raging waves, exquisite and exquisite. . His early works have strong imprints of Japanese national costumes. He used the fabric processing technology used by Japanese farmers in the 5th century to give the appearance of the clothes a very special feeling. His clothes have the characteristics of Japanese samurai. The shadow embodies the mysterious oriental character. He also creatively used oilcloth and polyester fiber knitted fabrics, combined with unique tailoring methods, to form what he calls a "second skin" clothing feature. His clothes do not exclude practicality. While adhering to certain characteristics of his own nation, he was influenced by the style of the famous Paris designer VIONNET. Now, with his avant-garde and unique style, he has transcended the boundaries of time and nation and has become a master of the generation. .

Issey Miyake’s own explanation of fashion is: I try to create a style of clothing that is neither Eastern nor Western. His quest was apparently successful. Those T-shirts, trousers, tops, pullovers and those feather-light coats are all popular around the world under the Issey Miyake trademark, but it is worth mentioning that the practicality of his clothing has been greatly emphasized, and his Evening wear can be washed, dried within a few hours, and can be twisted and folded like a swimsuit. These characteristics are fatally attractive to modern women whose life pace is getting faster and faster.

If the details of clothing can illustrate the characteristics of a fashion designer, then when it comes to pleats, no one can ignore Issey Miyake. Although Issey Miyake cannot be said to be the originator of pleats, his pleats are certainly the most unique and famous. From the time his pleated clothes were officially introduced to customers in 1989, Issey Miyake's name has been linked to the pleats on his clothes. Using folds to express his personality is one of his starting points. "In Paris, I don't want to imitate anyone, I just want to be myself." In the style of VIONNET, a senior designer who used pleats as a design feature, he found a design language and carried it forward. Another starting point is that he hopes that the clothes he designs are as comfortable and compliant as the second skin of the human body. Pleats can also complete this task well. It can give the wearer enough space to move and fully display their own beauty. Physical opportunity. Here, Issey Miyake has well solved the problem of coordination between Eastern clothing's emphasis on leaving space for people and Western-style rigorous structure. In clothing that does not seem to be very complete, customers have found a perfect solution for themselves. . Therefore, Issey Miyake’s pleated clothing finally completes the styling task through the customer’s wearing behavior. His pleat scheme is permanent, using high-tech processing methods to complete the shape of the pleats during the finishing stage, and will not deform. At the same time, he also uses a perfect sense of color to give his clothes a trademark look. Talking about the style he created himself, Miyake said: "It was an experiment and an adventure." Fortunately, the "I Want Pleats" series was created after his success and led his career to a new level. Under the premise of constant experimentation, he invited artists from other industries to create a new brand series, including a combination specially tailored for his pleated clothing. It seems that his signature style will last for a long time.

As a designer born in Japan, Miyake's unique aesthetic taste makes him express a feeling that transcends Western style. When choosing models, he is somewhat different from the mainstream vision. He likes to choose models from his own ethnic group, but the boyish temperament of the models and the requirement that they not pursue beauty but be special enough are also international. He also likes to use black models, maybe it's the strong interracial flavor that attracts him.