Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake has passed away at the age of 84 after a battle with cancer.
In a report by Women’s Wear Daily, the beloved designer was surrounded by “friends and associates” at the time of his death. It was his request that no funeral service or memorial be held in his name.
A fashion industry maverick, Miyake changed the way people dressed with his unique eye and affinity for functional design.
A graphic designer by training, Miyake moved to Paris in 1965 to pursue fashion, eventually earning him roles in Givenchy and Guy Laroche. In 1970, he opened his own design studio.
In a statement, the house shared “Never one to embrace trends, Miyake’s dynamic spirit was driven by a relentless curiosity and desire to convey joy through the medium of design. Always a pioneer, Miyake both embraced traditional handcrafts but also looked to the next solution: the newest technology driven by research and development. He never once stepped back from his love, the process of making things. He continued to work with his teams, creating new designs and supervising all collections under the various Issey Miyake labels. His spirit of joy, empowerment and beauty will be carried on by the next generations.”
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Best known for his Pleats Please franchise featuring crimped and thinly folded together fabrics, Miyake revolutionized the fashion industry with his modern vision. “In 1988, I started working with pleats, and I wanted them to hold their shape and be easy to care for and to be washable,” he recalled in a 2007 interview with WWD. “In Tokyo, we are close to the manufacturer, and we can see what they are doing and what more we can do.”
Throughout his entire career, Miyake was granted numerous awards, one of which includes The Kyoto Prize, one of Japan’s most revered awards for lifetime achievement.
