Issey Miyake is a Japanese fashion designer, label founder and creative director of the same name. He is known for his forward-thinking designs that are often avant-garde and provocative. His work combines elements from multiple cultures, including European high fashion, Japanese street style and traditional artisan techniques from his own culture. Issey Miyake was born on March 31, 1946 in Nagano, Japan. He graduated from Shibaura Institute of Technology with a degree in textiles. In 1970 he opened his first boutique selling custom-made shirts under the label Issey Miyake CoLtd. He later expanded into other clothing items like jackets and skirts while keeping his focus on casual clothing. In 1988 he began working with chemical engineer Toshiyuki Kono to create non-wrinkle fabrics that would allow him to expand into more formal attire such as suits and tuxedos. The result was a material called Tw technical nylon which could be used for almost any article of clothing without wrinkling or stretching out of shape after being worn for a period of time. He continues to use innovative methods for designing new clothing items including collaborations with technology firms like Apple Computer, Inc., Google and Intel Corporation as well as famous figures such as Lady Gaga and Serena Williams to produce new fashions that are not only novel but also wearable by everyday people.
Issey Miyake Fashion Designer
In addition to his clothing designs, Issey Miyake is famous for his fragrance design. He has designed scents for both men and women since the 1980s. His fragrances are known for their bold, fresh scents that usually include top notes such as citrus and woody undertones. Many of his scents have been extremely successful, often topping the lists of bestselling fragrances for the year in which they were produced. While his fragrances are often well-known, Miyake has also dabbled in the world of perfume making by creating scents for other labels as well. In 2000 he collaborated with the fashion company Hermès to create a scent for its women’s fragrance line. In 2001 he partnered with the French perfumery house Perfumes Christian Dior to create a scent for its men’s fragrance line.
Label Founder
Throughout the years, Issey Miyake’s clothing has been associated with urban culture. In 2002, he founded an urban art museum in his native country of Japan called the 21er Haus. The museum is known for its focus on showing the work of artists who use urban culture as inspiration for their work. Miyake's work with artists has also extended to collaborations with musicians such as Pharrell Williams, who worked with him to create a line of urban sportswear for Adidas in 2014. In 2016, Miyake teamed up with the American filmmaker and artist David Lynch to produce a line of streetwear under the name of Issey Miyake’s Young Artists Program. The line features clothing, accessories and art pieces designed by emerging artists in their 20s.
Creative Director and Visionary
As a creative director, Miyake has collaborated with many brands to produce a range of clothing and accessories that reflect his vision of bringing together multiple cultures and aesthetics. He has designed clothing items and accessories for large brands such as Nike, Inc., PepsiCo, Inc., Patagonia, Inc., Google, Inc. and Adidas, Inc. In 2002 he teamed up with the Swiss luxury brand watchmaker TAG Heuer to create a line of watches for men and women. In 2003 he partnered with the American shoe brand Converse, Inc. to create a range of shoes with athletic styling and bold colours. In 2013 he teamed up with the American sportswear brand Ralph Lauren, Inc. to create a line of sweaters and scarves with bold patterns and colours. In 2016, he worked with the Japanese sportswear and equipment manufacturer Asics, Ltd. to create a line of athletic clothing and footwear.
The Issey Miyake Brand Today
Issey Miyake and his brand have been extremely successful in both the clothing industry as well as the fragrance industry. His fragrances are famous for their bold scents, while his clothing has been popular amongst urban and sports style enthusiasts thanks to his use of bright colours and futuristic and geometric patterns. Miyake has won numerous awards for his designs, including the second place award for his “space-age designs” at the International Wool Textile Exhibition in 2001 and a Gold Award at the same exhibition in 2016. He has been the recipient of many awards for his fragrances including the Fragrance Foundation Fashion Award in 2015 and the Fragrance Foundation Award in 2017.
Conclusion
Issey Miyake is a fashion designer, fragrance designer and creative director who is known for his bold and colourful designs that often utilize futuristic imagery. His work has focused on bringing together multiple cultures and aesthetics to create unique fashions, most notably urban and sports-inspired clothing. He has also worked with many large brands to produce a range of clothing, accessories and watches with his signature aesthetic. The Issey Miyake brand continues to be successful in both the clothing and fragrance industries today.
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