Issey Miyake, The Art of Movement

Issey Miyake, who died two years ago today at the age of 84, lived a lifetime in motion, punctuated by the different places and influences he oscillated between. Movement played a key role in his designs, from the rippling fabrics to the free flowing silhouettes that became his trademark. 

Following an endeavour to learn haute-couture in Paris, and a stint working as an assistant to Guy La Roche and Hubert de Givenchy, Miyake developed a disenchantment for its servitude to high society after witnessing the 1968 student protests. Committed to creating clothes for everyone, Miyake ventured to New York to pursue ready-to-wear. He was content to enter the American fashion world with a blank slate, while maintaining his Japanese savoir-faire. 

Such cultural exchanges became signature in his clothing, blending traditionalism with technology into seamless silhouettes – a marriage that awarded him his first major success, his iconic pleated range. Using polyester granted Miyake freedom in his designs, allowing him the capacity to create pieces for daily life, while adhering to his design philosophy: developing clothes for everyday luxury. Writing about this idea in his book ‘Pleats Please’ Miyake said that clothes “must bestow freedom on those who wear them.” Needless to say, Pleats Please is unmistakable, and the garments’ ripples and flows turn wearers into forces of movement. 

Miyake understood clothing past the material limitations of ‘being worn’ and conceptualised garments as living extensions of the human body. This revolutionary expression of movement extended to Miyake’s shows. Intrigued by the idea of unoccupied space, he choreographed performances where models walked, twirled and ran. Their audacious occupations of space complimented the dynamic potential of his designs. The shows blended elements of dance and performance art, becoming immersive experiences where clothes were part of a kinetic narrative. 

Miyake’s incredible contributions to the fashion industry are an ode to beauty, while serving as a reminder of the importance of remaining lighthearted. His legacy within art and fashion extends beyond his lifetime; the maison’s collections continue to be celebrated by critics for their revolutionary playful experiments of volume and silhouettes, and beloved by wearers for their vigour and weightless wearability.