Table of Biography
Issey Miyake was a Japanese fashion designer. Issey Miyake was best known for his technology-driven clothing designs, fragrances, and exhibitions, such as L’eau d’Issey.
Early Life
Issey Miyake was born Kazunaru Miyake on 22 April 1938. He is originally from Hiroshima, Japan. Issey was still living there seven years later when the U.S. military dropped an atomic bomb there in August of 1945.
Therefore, he first disclosed this in the year 2009, when Barack Obama advocated for global nuclear disarmament. As a child, this personality wanted to become a dancer. Moreover, his interest in fashion started by studying his sister’s fashion magazines.
Caption: Issey Miyake’s old picture. Source: Esquire
Issey Miyake – Education
This personality studied graphic design at the Tama Art University in Tokyo, graduating in the year 1964. Similarly, he entered designs into a fashion competition at the Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo.
However, he did not win a competition due to his lack of pattern-making or sewing skills. After graduation, he enrolled in the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne school in Paris and was apprenticed to Guy Laroche as an assistant designer. Also, he worked with Hubert de Givenchy, drawing 50 to 100 sketches daily.
Issey Miyake – Death
Issey died on 5 August 2022 in Tokyo. He was 84 years old, and the cause of his death was said liver cancer.
Issey Miyake – Brand Endorsements
This man has his lines and brands. Therefore, some of his brands and lines are Issey Miyake, Issey Miyake Fête, Pleats Please Issey Miyake, HaaT, A-POC, 132 5. Issey Miyake, Bao Bao Issey Miyake, Issey Miyake Watches, Issey Miyake Perfumes, The Miyake Issey Foundation, 21 21 Design Sight, and many more.
Career
In the year 1969, he moved to New York City, where he met artists like Christo and Robert Rauschenberg. Moreover, he was enrolled in English classes at Columbia University and worked on Seventh Avenue for designer Geoffrey Beene.
Similarly, returning to Tokyo in the year 1970, he founded the Miyake Design Studio, a high-end producer of women’s fashion. In the late 1980s, he started to experiment with new methods of pleating that would allow both flexibility of movement for the wearer as well as ease of care and production.
Moreover, he did the costume for Ballett Frankfurt with an ultra feather-polyester jersey permanently pleated in a piece named “The Loss of Small Detail” by William Forsythe. And, he also worked on the ballet “Garden in the Setting”.
He realized that the new method of making clothes fit well in dancers. And, after studying how dancers move, he sent 200 to 300 garments for dancers to wear different ones in each performance of The Last Detail.
Then, this led to the development of the Pleats, Please range and inspired him to use dancers to display his work. This personality had a long friendship with Austrian-born pottery artist Dame Lucie Rie. Dame presented him with her archival ceramic buttons, which he integrated into his designs.
More
Also, he developed a friendship with Apple’s Steve Jobs, who came to him after seeing the uniforms Issey designed for employees of Sony’s factories. At Jobs’s request, he designed similar vests for Apple employees, but Jobs encountered strong opposition to the idea of a uniform.
Nonetheless, Issey went on to produce the black turtlenecks which would become a part of Jobs’ signature attire. Likewise, in March 1992, Issey was quoted in the International Herald Tribune as saying
“Design is not for philosophy—it’s for life.”
Between the years 1996 and 1999, he collaborated with artists for his Guest Artist series. In the years 1994 and 1999, he turned over the design of the men’s and women’s collections respectively, to his associate, Naoki Takizawa, so that he could return to research full-time.
Likewise, in the year 2007, Naoki Takizawa opened his brand supported by the Issey Miyake Group. And was replaced as Creative Director by Dai Fujiwara, who ran the House of Issey Miyake until the year 2012.
And, the design duties were split as of the Spring/Summer 2012 collections, with Yoshiyuki Miyamae appointed head designer of the women’s collection and Yusuke Takahashi designing the men’s line.
As of 2012, this personality was one of the co-directors of 21 21 DESIGN SIGHT, Japan’s first design museum. And, in March 2016, the largest retrospective of his work was organized at The National Art Center, Tokyo, celebrating 45 years of his career.
Caption: Issey Miyake showing his product. Source: Goteborgs
Perfumes
Also, he had a line of perfumes. Therefore, his first fragrance, L’eau d’Issey, was created by perfumer Jacques Cavallier. The scent was followed by L’eau d’Issey Pour Homme (for men) in the year 1994.
L’eau Bleue d’Issey Pour Homme was introduced in the year 2004; and its evolution, L’eau Bleue d’Issey Eau Fraiche was introduced in the year 2006. Similarly, every year from 2007 on, he brought out a “limited time only” fragrance for ladies, for which he brought in a “guest” perfumer.
Likewise, in the year 2007, he launched ‘Drop on a Petal’, and in 2008 he launched ‘Reflections in a Drop’. A new Issey men’s fragrance, L’eau d’Issey Pour Homme Intense, was introduced at Nordstrom in the United States in June 2007, with a larger worldwide rollout following in September 2007. Issey’s fragrances are produced under a long-term agreement by the Beauté Prestige International division of Shiseido.
Personal Life
This personality was a married man. But, he kept issues and matters about his marriage life private and away from the media. Sadly, there is no information about his wife. Issey had not stated anything about his spouse and kids’ details to the media.
Body Measurements
Issey was a handsome and talented man. He stood at the height of 1.80 m or 5 feet 7 inches. Similarly, his body weight consisted of 75 kilos or 165 lbs. This personality had a pair of black eyes and his hair color was white. Other body stats of Issey are missing from the internet.
Caption: Issey Miyake in the ramp walk. Source: Vogue
Social Media
Issey doesn’t have his personal social media accounts. However, his brands have their official Instagram profiles like ‘@isseymiyakeparfums’ and ‘@isseymiyakeofficial’.
Net Worth 2024
This man was a professional fashion designer. And, the net worth of Issey is estimated between $80 million as of 2022. Issey was living a lavish lifestyle from his earnings. Therefore, his main source of wealth was from fashion designing career.