Issey Miyake
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA Japanese fashion house associated with technology-led garment construction, sculptural silhouettes, permanent pleating and design-led fragrances.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Issey Miyake is a Japanese fashion house developed around the work and design philosophy of Issey Miyake, the Hiroshima-born designer who established the Miyake Design Studio in Tokyo in 1970. The house became internationally recognized for treating clothing as a problem in materials, movement, construction and everyday use rather than simply as seasonal decoration. Its work combines Japanese visual restraint with ideas drawn from sculpture, architecture, industrial production, dance and Western couture. Miyake studied graphic design at Tama Art University and gained experience in Paris and New York before returning to Japan. His early career included work with Guy Laroche, Hubert de Givenchy and Geoffrey Beene. These experiences informed a practice that moved between haute couture technique, mass-manufacturing logic and experimental textiles. Rather than relying on conventional tailoring alone, Miyake and his teams investigated how a garment could be made from a single piece of cloth, how fabric could retain a designed form, and how clothing could accommodate different bodies and patterns of movement. The house's best-known development is Pleats Please Issey Miyake. Introduced in 1993 after earlier experiments with permanently pleated performance garments, the line uses finely engineered polyester jersey. Garments are generally cut and sewn before being compressed between paper layers and heat-treated, allowing the fabric to retain sharp pleats. The resulting clothes are lightweight, flexible, easy to care for and capable of being folded or compressed without losing their visual identity. The line transformed pleating from a decorative detail into a system of construction and became one of the most recognizable expressions of the house. Other important activities include the A-POC system, which explores garments and garment components produced from continuous tubes or engineered lengths of fabric; 132 5. Issey Miyake, which develops two-dimensional geometric forms into three-dimensional clothing; Homme Plissé Issey Miyake for menswear; Bao Bao Issey Miyake bags; watches; and a substantial fragrance business. L'eau d'Issey, created with perfumer Jacques Cavallier, extended the brand into the international prestige fragrance market and became one of its signature commercial offerings. Although Issey Miyake stepped back from day-to-day fashion design in the late 1990s, he continued to oversee the broader direction of the house and its research culture. Design responsibilities passed through several collaborators, including Naoki Takizawa, Dai Fujiwara, Yoshiyuki Miyamae and Yusuke Takahashi. This succession structure allowed the company to retain a recognizable design language while developing new lines and technologies. The brand's activities also extend beyond clothing. Miyake collaborated with artists, photographers, choreographers, architects and manufacturers, and his work has been represented in major museum collections and exhibitions. He was a co-director of 21 21 Design Sight, a Tokyo design center operated by the Miyake Issey Foundation. The institution reflects the house's broader interest in design research, materials and the relationship between objects and daily life. Issey Miyake died in Tokyo on 5 August 2022 from liver cancer, aged 84. The fashion and fragrance businesses continued after his death under the broader house structure. The brand remains associated with experimental textiles, functional comfort, distinctive pleating, geometric construction and a close relationship between fashion, art and industrial design.
History
Issey Miyake was born Kazunaru Miyake in Hiroshima on 22 April 1938. His childhood was shaped by the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945, an experience he discussed publicly much later. He initially imagined becoming a dancer, but an interest in fashion imagery and clothing led him toward design. He studied graphic design at Tama Art University in Tokyo and graduated in 1964. After graduation, Miyake moved into international fashion. He studied at the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne and worked as an assistant to Guy Laroche. He later worked with Hubert de Givenchy, producing large numbers of sketches and gaining direct exposure to couture production. In 1969 he moved to New York, studied English at Columbia University and worked on Seventh Avenue for Geoffrey Beene. The period exposed him to American ready-to-wear, performance and contemporary art. Miyake returned to Tokyo in 1970 and established the Miyake Design Studio, a high-end producer of women's fashion. His practice was shaped by a belief that clothing should be adaptable, comfortable and connected to the body in motion. He drew inspiration from Japanese and Western sources, including Isamu Noguchi, Madeleine Vionnet, modern sculpture, architecture, dance and the formal possibilities of a single piece of fabric. The early collections developed a distinctive vocabulary of bold graphics, unconventional construction and textiles that could be worn in multiple ways. The main Issey Miyake line expanded from womenswear into menswear, while the studio pursued collaborations with textile makers, artists and industrial partners. Miyake worked with photographer Irving Penn for 13 years beginning in 1986, and later created the Guest Artist series between 1996 and 1999 with artists including Yasumasa Morimura, Nobuyoshi Araki, Tim Hawkinson and Cai Guo-Qiang. A major turning point came through Miyake's work for dance. In 1991 he designed permanently pleated, lightweight polyester costumes for William Forsythe's The Loss of Small Detail, performed by Ballett Frankfurt. The garments' movement, lightness and durability contributed to the development of Pleats Please. Launched in 1993, the line used a heat-treatment process in which cut-and-sewn garments were pleated between paper layers. Its permanent pleats, loose proportions and easy-care properties made it both technically distinctive and commercially recognizable. The studio continued to develop separate lines and experiments. HaaT explored textile and craft traditions; A-POC investigated continuous fabric structures that could be cut by the wearer; and 132 5. Issey Miyake developed garments that begin as flat geometric forms and unfold into three-dimensional clothing. Homme Plissé brought the house's pleating language into menswear, while Bao Bao established a distinctive accessories business based on modular geometric surfaces. Fragrances, especially L'eau d'Issey, broadened the brand's international presence beyond apparel. Miyake transferred direct design responsibility for the women's collection to Naoki Takizawa in 1994 and for the men's collection in 1999, enabling him to concentrate on research and broader creative direction. He formally stepped away from fashion design in 1997, although he remained involved with the direction of the company and its design activities. Later creative leadership included Dai Fujiwara, Yoshiyuki Miyamae and Yusuke Takahashi. The house also participated in projects outside conventional fashion. Miyake designed the Lithuanian national team's official uniform for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, worked on products and exhibitions, and maintained relationships with artists, architects and manufacturers. His friendship with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs led to the production of black turtlenecks associated with Jobs's personal uniform. In 2004 the Miyake Issey Foundation was established in Tokyo. It operates 21 21 Design Sight, a design center designed by Tadao Ando that opened in 2007. Miyake received major international recognition, including the Praemium Imperiale in 2005, the Kyoto Prize in 2006, Japan's Order of Culture in 2010, the Compasso d'Oro in 2014 for the IN-EI lighting family made with Artemide, and France's Legion of Honour in 2016. He died on 5 August 2022. The Issey Miyake house continues to operate through its fashion, accessories, fragrance and design activities.
- 2022
Death of Issey Miyake
[1]Miyake died in Tokyo from liver cancer on 5 August 2022.
- 2014
Compasso d'Oro recognition
[1]The IN-EI Issey Miyake lighting family, designed with Artemide, received the Compasso d'Oro.
- 2007
21 21 Design Sight opened
[1]The Tadao Ando-designed Tokyo design center opened under the foundation's operation.
- 2004
Miyake Issey Foundation established
[1]The foundation was created to support exhibitions, events, publishing and design research.
- 1998
A-POC introduced
[1]A-POC extended Miyake's research into continuous fabric structures and consumer-shaped garments.
- 1993
Pleats Please launched
[1]The house introduced its signature permanent-pleat womenswear line.
- 1991
Pleated dance costumes developed
[1]Miyake created permanently pleated costumes for William Forsythe's The Loss of Small Detail, an important precursor to Pleats Please.
- 1982
Issey Skyline project
[1]A limited Issey Skyline design was produced in connection with the Nissan Skyline.
- 1971
First Issey Miyake collection
[1]The first collection included a Japanese-style tattoo print depicting Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.
- 1970
Miyake Design Studio founded
[1]Miyake returned to Tokyo and established the studio that became the foundation of the Issey Miyake fashion house.
Products and positioning
High-end Japanese designer fashion and fragrance house centered on material innovation, functional wearability, sculptural form and design research.
Designer apparel · 1971
Issey Miyake main line
The main collection is the house's broadest expression of Miyake's design language, combining sculptural silhouettes, experimental textiles, layered construction and practical movement. Womenswear dates to the early 1970s, while menswear was added later. Individual collections have been developed by successive studio designers while retaining an emphasis on unusual proportions, fabric behavior and the relationship between a garment and the moving body.
Womenswear · 1993
Pleats Please Issey Miyake
Pleats Please uses finely engineered polyester jersey treated with a proprietary heat-pleating process. The garments are lightweight, flexible and relatively easy to wash and store, with pleats that retain their form through wear. Loose silhouettes and adaptable sizing make the line suitable for movement, while its sharp horizontal, vertical or diagonal pleats provide a highly recognizable visual signature.
Menswear · 2013
Homme Plissé Issey Miyake
Homme Plissé applies the house's pleating research to men's clothing. The line emphasizes lightweight layers, fluid proportions and garments that can move with the wearer. Its relationship to dance, performance and technical textile development gives it a more experimental identity than conventional menswear tailoring.
Experimental apparel system · 1998
A-POC
A-POC, short for A Piece of Cloth, explores the production of clothing from engineered tubes or continuous lengths of fabric. The wearer can cut or configure sections into different garment forms, shifting part of the design process from the factory to the consumer. The concept connects textile engineering, reduced waste and adaptable clothing construction.
Experimental apparel · 2014
132 5. Issey Miyake
132 5. develops flat geometric forms that unfold into structured three-dimensional garments. The line has used recycled polyethylene terephthalate combined with natural fibers and dyes, linking advanced material research with a visual language based on geometry, folding and transformation.
Bags and accessories
Bao Bao Issey Miyake
Bao Bao is known for bags assembled from modular geometric pieces attached to a flexible base. The surfaces can change shape as the bag is carried, giving the accessories a distinctive mix of structure, movement and playfulness. It has become one of the house's most visible accessories lines.
Fragrance
L'eau d'Issey
L'eau d'Issey is the house's signature fragrance family. The original women's fragrance was created by perfumer Jacques Cavallier, followed by men's and flanker's versions. The range extends Issey Miyake's interest in simplicity, water imagery and carefully engineered sensory experiences into prestige beauty.
Womenswear · 2004
Issey Miyake Fête
Fête is a colorful women's line that builds on the technical and pleating innovations associated with Pleats Please. Its name signals a more celebratory palette and attitude while retaining the house's emphasis on movement, easy wear and engineered textile surfaces.
Experimental textiles · 2020
APOC Able
APOC Able extends the A-POC concept through advanced weaving and textile technologies. It reflects the house's continuing investigation of how production methods can affect garment shape, customization and the boundaries between fabric and finished clothing.
Marketing campaigns
- 1996Guest Artist series
Japan · International
Miyake invited artists including Yasumasa Morimura, Nobuyoshi Araki, Tim Hawkinson and Cai Guo-Qiang to create work connected with fashion. The project treated clothing as an interactive meeting point between art, the wearer and the public.
Outcome. The series reinforced the house's position at the intersection of fashion, contemporary art and design research.
- 1992Lithuanian Olympic team uniform
Lithuania · Spain · International sports
Miyake designed the official uniform for Lithuania's team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
Outcome. The project extended the designer's work into national representation and sportswear-related ceremonial design.
- 1991Ballett Frankfurt costume project
Germany · International performing arts
Miyake designed lightweight permanently pleated costumes for William Forsythe's The Loss of Small Detail. The garments demonstrated how pleating could support movement and helped inspire the development and presentation of Pleats Please.
Outcome. The project became an important creative and technical precursor to the Pleats Please line.
Brand decisions
2012
Split of collection design dutiesStrategyBackground
The house reorganized creative responsibility after Fujiwara's period as head of the house.
Action taken
Yoshiyuki Miyamae was appointed to lead womenswear and Yusuke Takahashi to design menswear.
Aftermath
The structure gave the two major apparel categories distinct creative leadership while preserving the broader Issey Miyake identity.
2007
Dai Fujiwara succeeds Naoki TakizawaOtherBackground
Takizawa left to develop his own label with support from the Issey Miyake Group.
Action taken
Dai Fujiwara replaced Takizawa as creative director of the house.
Aftermath
The transition continued the house's practice of evolving its design language through internal and affiliated creative leadership.
1999
Transfer of men's collection design responsibilityStrategyBackground
Following the earlier transition in womenswear, Miyake continued shifting day-to-day collection design toward his associates.
Action taken
Naoki Takizawa assumed responsibility for the men's collection.
Aftermath
Miyake concentrated more heavily on research and the overall direction of the house.
1998
Introduction of A-POCProduct launchBackground
The studio was investigating ways to integrate textile production and garment construction into a more continuous process.
Action taken
A-POC presented engineered fabric structures that could be cut into garments by the consumer.
Aftermath
The project broadened the house's reputation for production innovation and adaptable clothing systems.
1994
Transfer of women's collection design responsibilityStrategyBackground
Miyake sought to devote more time to research while maintaining broader creative oversight of the house.
Action taken
Naoki Takizawa took responsibility for the women's collection.
Aftermath
The change established a succession model in which studio designers developed collections within the wider Issey Miyake design system.
1993
Launch of Pleats PleaseProduct launchBackground
Dance costume experiments demonstrated the potential of permanently pleated lightweight polyester garments.
Action taken
The house introduced a dedicated womenswear line based on heat-set pleating applied after garments were cut and sewn.
Aftermath
Pleats Please became the house's most recognizable product line and a major reference point for technical everyday fashion.
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