Originally from Hiroshima, Japan, Issey Miyake is a Japanese designer most famous for incorporating Eastern and Western elements into his designs.
He studied at Tokyo’s Tama Art University for graphic design and resided in Paris to enroll at school Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. He catapulted his career working behind the scenes for four years in ateliers operated by French couturiers Guy Laroche, Hubert De Givenchy and a well known American designer Geoffrey Beene.
In 1973, after three years when when first created a studio in Tokyo, Miyake showcased his personal collection in Paris group fashion show and established a layered and wrapped look that soon became his signature trademark. He started Pleats Please in 1993 and A Piece of Cloth in 1999.
The “East meets West” look includes mostly of dyed T-shirts with Japanese tattoo designs along with coats featuring the sashiko technique, a Japanese embroidery that strengthens fabric and was usually used in laborers’ clothing.
He became globally recognized in 1980 along with Japanese designers Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto.
Japan Arts Association recognized Miyake with a Praemium Imperiale award for outstanding achievement in the arts. He was the very first fashion designer to received the Kyoto Prize in Arts and Philosophy for lifetime achievement awarded by the Inamori Foundation in Japan.