August 09, (THEWILL) – Issey Miyake, the Japanese fashion designer, whose timeless pleats made him an industry favourite, is dead.
He was aged 84.
He died of cancer on August 5, and a funeral service has already been held with his family and close friends.
A memorial ceremony will, however, not be held, in line with his wishes.
Miyake rose to international prominence in the 1980s with avant-garde designs that those who could afford his luxury pieces immediately regarded as collector’s items.
Today, his designs are preserved at institutions including London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, New York’s Museum of Modern Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Born in the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1938.
Miyake lived with a pronounced limp that was a result of the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, the Japanese city where he was born, in 1945.
His mother died three years later from radiation exposure.
Miyake studied graphic design at Tokyo’s Tama Art University before moving to Paris in 1965. There, he enrolled at the renowned tailoring and dressmaking school, École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne.
Miyake worked for Guy Laroche and Hubert de Givenchy, two of the biggest names in haute couturep, before moving to New York to assist Geoffrey Beene.
In 1970, he founded his own design studio in Tokyo.
In the late ’90s, Miyake took a step back from day-to-day designing of collections under his namesake label, employing the help of other creative leads, but he never stopped innovating.
Miyake was also known for his line of fragrances. The first, L’Eau d’Issey, was launched in 1992 and became an international bestseller.
He received multiple awards for his work as a fashion designer and as an artist.
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