Issey Miyake, RIP

Close your eyes, think of the smell of Issey Miyake and I can guarantee you, a distinct smell will resurface, memories will ooze out of hidden places and a person will come to mind, a husband, a mother, father…or just your own self. Who you wanted to be. The life you envisioned. Issey Miyake made us dream in contemporary, conceptual way.

For the longest time, my ambition was to own a Pleats Please wardrobe, it was the most forward thinking design of the past 50 years. The fabric was so engineered that one could scrunch it up and throw it in a suitcase, get your destination, dress and look fantastic. The late, great Zaha Hadid learnt early on that his clothes made a statement that she wanted to convey: You talking to an artist now. Take heed.

We have to say good bye to a great artist. A creative who showed us new. architectural ways of looking at clothes, fabric, and even showed us a new way to experience fragrance.

Issey Miyake has passed away of cancer, aged 84.. He grew up in Hiroshima, at the time of the bombing. His own mother dying three years later from consequences of the atom bomb, and himself with a life long limp in his walk. He had certainly has a new vision in fashion but yet held his Japanese heritage close to his heart.

Just a little insiders story, Miyake made 100 black turtleneck sweaters for Steve Jobs. I think all Apple users can see what the mutual attraction was. Such deep love of design and simplicity of form.

We graciously bow to a great designer, and say Sayōnara Issey Miyake San.

Images Issey Miyake Website