<div class="hero__text"><span> Issey Miyake, the '70s avant-garde icon, passed away at 84 from cancer.</span></div>

<p><span>Issey Miyake's vision is a perfect fusion of art, technology, and tradition. As o</span><span>ne of the most experimental fashion designers in fashion history, he enchanted generations by highlighting the innovative approach of Japanese fashion. As the fashion world mourns the loss of this iconic figure, <em>L'Officiel</em> remembers the legacy he left behind by looking back on his career.</span></p>

<p style="text-align: center;">Early Life</p>

<p><span>Born in Hiroshima, the designer survived the atomic bomb of 1945. His name, Issey, translates into Italian as "one life" and Miyake "three houses," a name that also demonstrates his unique lifestyle, imprisoned by infinite creativity.</span></p>

<p style="text-align: center;">Training</p>

<p>He graduated from Tama Art University in 1964 with a degree in Graphic Design. Subsequently, he moved to Paris to study at the &Eacute;cole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne<em>. </em>There, he was an apprentice to great designers such as Hubert de Givenchy, Guy Laroche, and later Geoffrey Beene in New York.</p>

<p style="text-align: center;">New Beginnings</p>

<p><span>Through his training, the designer realized that he did not want to follow the path of the Parisian elite and, in 1970, he returned to Japan and founded his own studio. In Tokyo, he created experimental garments that hinged on the philosophy that his creations were 80 per cent of him and 20 per cent of ​the user, as they had the last word on how to wear his garments.</span></p>

<p style="text-align: center;">Signatures</p>

<p>Miyake's designs are free from conventional shapes. Instead, the central objective is the analysis of the space between the human body and clothes. His pieces broke away from the lines of traditional modelling, a concept that has crossed barriers into Western tailoring practices. Like his countrymen Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto, and Kenzo Takeda, exaggerated proportions and unisex pieces have made him famous. Together, these designers have forever marked the era of the Japanese avant-garde<em>. </em>Miyake's first collection debuted in New York City in 1971, with a focus on shirts, hand-painted and made with traditional Japanese tattoo techniques.</p>

<p><span>In 1992, Issey Miyake Parfums launched its first fragrance, L'eau d'Issey. The water itself is the inspiration for the fragrance and its main component, leaving a great influence on the world of perfume.</span></p>

<p style="text-align: center;">Irving Penn Collaboration</p>

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      <p><span>One of photographer Irving Penn's longest-running collaborations in the fashion industry was with the Japanese designer. Over a 13-year period, the pair worked on a number of artistic photo shoots that visualized the conversation between their differing perspectives on Miyake's work.</span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;">Pliss&eacute;</p>

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      <p><span> For the genius of pleats, no material is useless and in 1993, there was a revival of a 20th-century technique for pleating fabrics. The proposal of this collection, still very current for the brand, was the manipulation of materials such as very thin polyester. Using textile modelling and wear techniques, the garments were sewn and cut, then pleated and folded permanently with a heat press.</span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;">Sustainability</p>

<p><span> In 1997, the designer, together with textile engineer Dai Fujiwara, developed an innovative way to create a single strand of yarn. The A-POC process </span><span>consisted of cutting the garments from a roll of tubular fabric in which a motif proportional to the shape of the customer is directly engraved.&nbsp; Without the need to add stitching for the finishes, this innovative system revolutionized the textile industry, making Fujiwara and Miyake pioneers of sustainability long before it was the critical talking point that it is now.</span></p>

<p style="text-align: center;">Retirement</p>

<p><span>Despite his enormous success, in 1998, Miyake retired as Creative Director to focus on materials research and experimentation projects.</span>&nbsp;<span>After him, designer Naoki Takizawa was called to head the Maison.</span></p>

Remembering Issey Miyake's Iconic Career Moments

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