The parent design organization, MIYAKE DESIGN STUDIO, was established on April 11, 1970.

Issey Miyake was one of the most influential Japanese designers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

He was born in Hiroshima in 1938 and studied graphic design at Tama Art University. After graduating, he moved to Paris, where he studied at L’École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne and worked at haute couture houses. He later worked in New York before returning to Japan.

Rather than positioning himself simply as a traditional fashion designer, Miyake became interested in the broader question:

How can clothing be designed for the human body and everyday life?

This question became the foundation of his career.

In 1970, he established MIYAKE DESIGN STUDIO, and in 1971 he presented his first overseas ISSEY MIYAKE collection in New York. He entered the Paris fashion collections in 1973 and subsequently became a regular presence there.

If you want to understand ISSEY MIYAKE, “A Piece of Cloth” is probably the most important concept.

Traditional fashion often begins with a pattern:

body → pattern → garment

Miyake frequently approached the problem differently:

cloth → transformation → body

The question becomes:

What can one piece of fabric become when it interacts with the human body?

The brand describes its design philosophy as exploring the relationship between the wearer’s body and the fabric, including the Japanese concept of “ma”, which can be understood as an unfilled or open space.

This helps explain why ISSEY MIYAKE clothing can look:

• sculptural
• oversized
• architectural
• geometric
• fluid
• three-dimensional
• almost like an art object

The clothing isn’t necessarily designed to tightly follow the body’s conventional silhouette. Instead, space between the body and garment becomes part of the design.

Ma (間) is a Japanese concept concerning space, interval, pause, or the relationship between things.

In ISSEY MIYAKE’s context, this idea is particularly important.

Instead of thinking:

“How do I decorate the body?”

the design approach can be closer to:

“What happens in the space between the body and the fabric?”

This produces garments that can appear to float around the body.

The result is a different understanding of fashion. Clothing isn’t simply a surface placed onto a person; it becomes an active structure that interacts with:

• movement
• space
• gravity
• light
• volume
• texture
• the wearer’s individual body

This is one reason ISSEY MIYAKE often sits somewhere between fashion, sculpture, architecture and industrial design.

One of the most important differences between ISSEY MIYAKE and many conventional fashion houses is the importance given to material research.

The brand doesn’t simply select existing fabrics and design clothes from them. Its creative process frequently involves developing new yarns, fabrics, structures and manufacturing techniques. The official brand describes its current work as research that can begin from developing yarn and then creating original fabrics.

This means that for ISSEY MIYAKE:

material = design

rather than merely:

material = something used to make design

This philosophy has led to experiments involving:

• pleating
• synthetic fibers
• natural fibers
• recycled materials
• knitted structures
• woven structures
• heat treatment
• computer-controlled textile production
• folding
• geometric construction

The most recognizable visual language associated with ISSEY MIYAKE is undoubtedly pleating.

Miyake began experimenting seriously with pleating in 1988.

The technique eventually became the foundation for PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE.

A key characteristic is that the garments are generally constructed first and pleated afterward, rather than simply cutting already-pleated fabric into conventional garments. This creates garments that are lightweight, flexible and capable of adapting to the body.

The resulting clothing has several practical advantages:

• lightweight
• easy to pack
• resistant to wrinkles
• easy to care for
• flexible
• highly mobile
• adaptable to different bodies

This is important because Miyake wasn’t interested in technology purely for technological spectacle. He wanted technology to produce better everyday clothing.

PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE is arguably the most commercially recognizable member of the Miyake universe.

Its roots go back to pleated garments developed during the late 1980s and early 1990s, and it became an independent brand with the Spring/Summer 1994 collection.

Its visual identity is immediately recognizable:

pleats + bright colors + simple silhouettes + movement + practicality

Typical pieces include:

• tops
• dresses
• skirts
• trousers
• jackets
• tunics
• coats
• accessories

The clothing is deliberately designed around everyday use rather than conventional luxury formality. The interesting paradox is that the clothes can look extremely sophisticated and artistic while being remarkably practical. That combination is central to Miyake’s success.

Another major Miyake innovation is A-POC, short for “A Piece of Cloth.”

The project began in 1998, with Miyake working with Dai Fujiwara.

A-POC explored how technology could change the very process of making clothes.

Instead of thinking:

fabric → cut pieces → sew garment

The system used computer-programmed industrial machines to transform thread into fabric structures containing shapes and garment possibilities.

This was revolutionary because it questioned one of the fundamental assumptions of fashion:

Does clothing have to be assembled from traditionally cut pieces?

A-POC suggested that the manufacturing process itself could become part of the design.

Another extremely recognizable Miyake creation is BAO BAO ISSEY MIYAKE.

The bags are constructed from repeated geometric pieces, particularly triangular elements.

They are fascinating because the bag changes shape depending on what is inside it.

When empty, it can appear relatively flat.

When objects are placed inside, the geometric panels move and form a three-dimensional volume.

The brand describes this as transforming from a plane into geometric forms as the bag is filled.

BAO BAO therefore embodies the same fundamental Miyake idea:

form is not necessarily fixed.

The object changes according to:

• the wearer
• movement
• contents
• gravity
• space

The first independent BAO BAO collection was launched for Autumn/Winter 2010.

HOMME PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE is the men’s-focused pleated line.

It launched in 2013 and applies the house’s pleating technology to men’s clothing.

The clothing emphasizes:

• movement
• lightness
• practicality
• wrinkle resistance
• quick drying
• versatility

Rather than creating traditional formal menswear, HOMME PLISSÉ treats menswear as a flexible system of garments.

132 5. ISSEY MIYAKE is another highly conceptual line.

Its garments use geometric folding constructions that can transform between a relatively flat two-dimensional form and a three-dimensional garment.

The name itself references the relationship between dimensions and form.

The concept is particularly interesting because it combines:

mathematics + geometry + textile technology + sustainability + fashion

The clothes can begin as relatively flat geometric structures and then transform through folding and wearing.

It is essentially a fashion interpretation of origami-like transformation.

ISSEY MIYAKE isn’t simply one fashion label. It is part of a much larger design ecosystem.

The current Miyake Design Studio portfolio includes:

ISSEY MIYAKE

The main experimental fashion line.

IM MEN

A men’s brand exploring new possibilities in clothing construction and materials.

PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE

The famous pleated everyday-wear line.

HOMME PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE

Pleated menswear.

A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE

An evolution of the A-POC concept, combining clothing, engineering and technological experimentation.

BAO BAO ISSEY MIYAKE

Geometric bags and accessories.

me ISSEY MIYAKE

Lightweight, compact, easy-care everyday clothing, particularly known for stretch pleats.

HaaT

A textile-focused brand incorporating Japanese and Indian craftsmanship.

GOOD GOODS ISSEY MIYAKE

Accessories and everyday products exploring what makes a product useful and meaningful.

There are also associated projects involving:

• fragrance
• watches
• eyewear
• footwear
• lighting
• stationery
• collaborations and cultural projects

ISSEY MIYAKE is not only a fashion house.

Its most famous fragrance is L’Eau d’Issey, launched in 1992.

The name essentially means “Issey’s water.”

Water became an important conceptual reference because Miyake viewed it as a fundamental and universal material.

The fragrance’s philosophy reflects the broader clothing philosophy:

simplicity + functionality + universality + abstraction

Rather than producing a perfume that simply screams luxury, L’Eau d’Issey was conceived around the idea of something pure, elemental and contemporary.

If you see an ISSEY MIYAKE collection, there are several recurring characteristics.

1. Geometry

Circles, triangles, squares, folds and unusual volumes frequently appear.

2. Movement

Clothes are designed to move with the wearer rather than simply sit on the body.

3. Space

The space between body and garment is treated as a design element.

4. Transformation

A garment may change its form when folded, stretched, worn or moved.

5. Technology

Advanced manufacturing and textile techniques are treated as creative tools.

6. Functionality

Practicality is not considered inferior to artistic expression.

7. Universality

Miyake often sought clothing that could work across different bodies, ages and lifestyles.

8. Material experimentation

The fabric itself can become the starting point of the design.

9. Freedom from conventional tailoring

Many garments don’t behave like conventional jackets, shirts or dresses.

10. Minimalism without being “plain”

The clothes can be visually minimal while being technically extremely sophisticated.

ISSEY MIYAKE is frequently described as a Japanese fashion house, but its approach is more complicated than simply incorporating obvious Japanese motifs.

Miyake was interested in creating something that was neither simply “Western” nor simply “traditional Japanese.”

The brand itself describes its clothing as unbound by Western-versus-Eastern conventions.

This is important.

You generally won’t find Miyake’s philosophy reduced to:

“Let’s make Japanese-looking clothes.”

Instead, the approach is closer to:

What can Japanese ideas about space, material, craft and technology contribute to a universal form of clothing?

That is why ISSEY MIYAKE became globally influential.

Miyake’s work has always had a strong relationship with contemporary art.

His projects have included collaborations and exhibitions involving artists, architects, choreographers and designers.

For example, he designed costumes for choreographer William Forsythe’s The Loss of Small Detail for the Frankfurt Ballet in 1991. 2

He also collaborated with artists including Tadanori Yokoo, whose colorful graphic work was incorporated into Miyake’s clothing. The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds Miyake pieces featuring Yokoo’s textile designs. 3

This is why an ISSEY MIYAKE collection can sometimes feel closer to an art installation or performance than a conventional runway show.

Perhaps Miyake’s biggest contribution to fashion was changing the perception of what a fashion designer could be.

The traditional image is:

designer → sketches → clothes

Miyake’s studio model is closer to:

designer + textile researcher + engineer + artisan + artist + manufacturer → new form of clothing

This explains why the house has invested so heavily in research and development.

The studio describes its work as including brand concept development, design, research and development, technological development, collaborations, exhibitions and cultural activities.

In other words, the laboratory is part of the fashion house.

Miyake’s work predates today’s mainstream fashion conversation around sustainability, but several of its ideas naturally intersect with it.

Examples include:

• efficient material usage
• long-lasting design
• multifunctionality
• garments that can be easily cared for
• flat or compact storage
• textile innovation
• recycling/upcycling research
• transforming manufacturing waste into new objects

The 132 5. concept also explicitly explores materials and forms that promote upcycling.

A particularly interesting recent example is the Paper Log project, which uses compressed pleating-paper waste as a material for objects and furniture.

Issey Miyake died in 2022, but the brand did not end with him.

This is one of the most important things to understand about the house.

Miyake deliberately built a creative system and design philosophy, rather than making the company completely dependent on his personal image.

Today, Satoshi Kondo directs the main ISSEY MIYAKE line. He has been responsible for it since Spring/Summer 2020.

The brand therefore continues to develop Miyake’s principles without simply reproducing his old designs.

Kondo’s approach is strongly connected to Miyake’s original philosophy.

He continues to focus on:

• the human body
• the relationship between body and fabric
• experimentation
• unexpected forms
• material behavior
• space
• movement
• ambiguity

The current brand describes Kondo’s work as exploring an aesthetic relationship between the wearer’s body and the wear.

Recent collections demonstrate that the house isn’t simply living in the past.

For example, the Autumn/Winter 2026–27 collection, Creating, Allowing, explores the balance between actively designing something and allowing the inherent qualities of a material to emerge.

This is a very Miyake-like idea:

technology should not completely dominate the material; sometimes design means allowing the material to speak.

As of 2026, ISSEY MIYAKE remains an active international design house with its headquarters and major operations centered in Japan and significant presences in cities including Paris, New York and London.

The house continues to operate across:

Fashion

• ISSEY MIYAKE
• IM MEN
• PLEATS PLEASE
• HOMME PLISSÉ
• 132 5.
• A-POC ABLE
• BAO BAO
• me
• HaaT
• GOOD GOODS

Lifestyle / collaborations

• fragrance
• watches
• eyewear
• footwear
• stationery
• design projects

Recent projects also show the company expanding its design thinking beyond clothing, including collaborations with architects, artists and other creative disciplines.

ISSEY MIYAKE’s significance isn’t simply that it produces unusual-looking clothes.

Its deeper contribution is that it challenged several assumptions about fashion:

This is why Miyake is important not only to fashion history but also to industrial design, textile design, contemporary art and product design.

If you had to summarize the aesthetic in one sentence:

ISSEY MIYAKE turns fabric into a dynamic structure that interacts with the human body.

Or even more simply:

Clothing as material, movement, space and technology.

1938 — Issey Miyake born in Hiroshima.

1965 — Moves to Paris and studies/work in haute couture.

1969 — Works in New York ready-to-wear before returning to Japan.

1970 — Establishes MIYAKE DESIGN STUDIO.

1971 — First overseas ISSEY MIYAKE collection in New York.

1973 — First Paris fashion collection.

1975 — First overseas ISSEY MIYAKE store opens in Paris.

1988 — Major experiments with pleating begin.

1991 — Pleated clothing used for William Forsythe’s ballet The Loss of Small Detail.

1992 — L’Eau d’Issey fragrance launches. 4

1993/94 — PLEATS PLEASE develops into an independent brand.

1998 — A-POC project begins. 5

2000 — me ISSEY MIYAKE launches. 6

2010 — BAO BAO ISSEY MIYAKE launches as an independent brand.

2013 — HOMME PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE launches.

2020 — Satoshi Kondo begins directing the main ISSEY MIYAKE line.

2022 — Issey Miyake dies at age 84.

2026 — The house continues under its wider Miyake Design Studio structure, with Satoshi Kondo leading the main line and continuing research into materials, form and the relationship between clothing and the body.

Think of the major labels as different answers to the same question:

“What else can clothing be?”

• ISSEY MIYAKE → clothing as sculpture + fabric + body
• PLEATS PLEASE → clothing as pleating + practicality + movement
• HOMME PLISSÉ → men’s clothing as pleating + freedom
• A-POC → clothing as technology + manufacturing
• 132 5. → clothing as geometry + folding
• BAO BAO → bags as geometry + transformation
• me ISSEY MIYAKE → clothing as lightweight everyday utility
• HaaT → clothing as textile craft + cultural exchange
• GOOD GOODS → objects as useful design + experimentation

In short

ISSEY MIYAKE is a Japanese design house founded by Issey Miyake in 1970 that revolutionized fashion through textile experimentation, pleating, technological manufacturing, geometry and a philosophy centered on the relationship between fabric, space and the human body. Its legacy includes PLEATS PLEASE, A-POC, 132 5., HOMME PLISSÉ and BAO BAO, while the main ISSEY MIYAKE line continues today under Satoshi Kondo.

1. ISSEY MIYAKE – ISSEY MIYAKE ONLINE STORE
2. Issey Miyake, ground-breaking Japanese fashion designer and favourite of museum costume institutes, has died, aged 84…
3. The A to Z of Issey Miyake – Metropolis
4. Issey Miyake – Jumpsuit – Japanese – The Metropolitan Museum of Art
5. Issey Miyake
6. Issey Miyake · SFMOMA