Issey Miyake, Rest in Peace

ISSEY MIYAKE 22.04.1938 - 05.08.2022

Truly one of the most important designers of the last century, in Japan and internationally. He created so many recognisable signatures - Pleats Please, Bao Bao Bags - and constantly innovated through technology and material exploration - from the iconic rattan and bamboo bodice to the continuous-knit A PoC (piece of cloth) garments.

Photo Lisa Wynne

In 2016, while I was living in Japan, The National Art Center, Tokyo, mounted “The Work of Miyake Issey” (三宅一生の仕事), a monumental exhibition of pieces from across the length and breadth of his design career. It was an incredible display and the curation really laid out the logical progressions in his work and his exploration of our relationship with clothes. Among so many of his innovative perspectives, I love how he observed and iterated the shifts between 2D to 3D, whether it was in how something was cut, constructed, folded, or in the inherent characteristics of various materials.

The large format book published as the exhibition catalogue is a beautiful testament to the range and artistry of his work and after wowing at this exhibition, I preciously toted it back to Yamagata, and then later, all the way back to Dublin, where it enjoys pride of place on my bookshelf.

Miyake only spoke publicly about it later in his life, but he was also Hibakusha, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Japan in August 1945. He suffered from radiation-related health effects throughout his life. The day after he passed away was the 77th anniversary of the bombing he witnessed of his home city, Hiroshima.

Sending my deepest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.