’The most accurate reference guide to the work of Issey Miyake,‘ is how Midori Kitamura, chairman of the Miyake Design Studio, describes an expansive new tome that traverses more than 70 years of the experimental Japanese label and its eponymous founder, who died aged 84 in 2022.
Titled Issey Miyake: 1960 – 2022 (released 5 April 2024, available for pre-order, £80, at Waterstones), the Taschen-published tome is a visually rich catalogue of Miyake’s collections, which are largely defined by material innovation – such as his signature polyester micro-pleats – and colourful, expressive silhouettes that verge on sculpture. As such, the book features imagery from some of the period’s definitive photographers, including Yuriko Takagi and Irving Penn – the latter responsible for some of the most enduring imagery of Miyake’s early collections.
Issey Miyake: 1960 to 2022, from Taschen
‘Miyake liked to convey his ideas visually, so we used that framework as our starting point,’ says Kitamura, who conceived the book having worked with Miyake for over four decades (among a slew of other projects, she was also instrumental in the founding of Pleats Please Issey Miyake). ‘Miyake left us with a clear roadmap to follow, going forward. We have and will always carry this map in our pockets as we move forward, always carrying his dreams and his vision into the future.’
Alongside, a series of texts by Kazuko Koike – founder and design director of Tokyo’s Sagacho Exhibit Space – explore Miyake’s ’unique fusion of poetry and practicality’, which was largely achieved through experiments on the body with fabric and material. ‘The body, the fabric covering it and a comfortable relationship between the two,’ said Miyake of the focus of his work, which despite its oftentimes avant-garde stylings was nonetheless infused with a feeling of pragmatism.
In the book, these innovations – which include the ’A Piece of Cloth’ concept, the ’Body Series’ of 1982 and Pleats Please – are catalogued by Kitamura in encyclopedic fashion, alongside the other landmark moments of Miyake’s pioneering career in fashion. As such, it is the most complete resource on the Japanese designer yet.
’The Miyake Design Studio has always been an organic, constantly evolving entity, ever true to Mr Miyake’s vision and under his supervision,’ says Kitamura. ‘We are fortunate that he left us such a clear path forward. We will continue his work, carrying his vision, his touchstones and his dreams into the future.’
’Issey Miyake: 1960 – 2022’ (5 April) is available for pre-order, £80, at Waterstones.
