From the prismatic Pleats Please collection to the modular, three-dimensional garments crafted from recycled plastic bottles in his Reality Lab, the captivating fashions by Japanese designer Issey Miyake are all about movement.
Born in Hiroshima, Miyake studied graphic design at Tama Art University in Tokyo before relocating to Paris in 1965, where he studied couture and cut his teeth working for Guy Laroche and Hubert de Givenchy. In 1969, he moved to New York, where he worked for Geoffrey Beene. He returned to Tokyo in 1970 to found his first solo venture, the Miyake Design Studio. It wasn’t until the 1990s, though, that the designer had his breakthrough moment with experimentations in pleating. Some of his earliest explorations were for choreographer William Forsythe’s Frankfurt Ballet Company, with the 1991 performance of The Loss of Small Detail featuring costumes Miyake designed with pleats that complemented and transformed the movement of the dancers.
Though long a staple in couture — from delicate women’s skirts to men’s suit pants — pleats took on new life in Miyake’s hands. By using a heat press to cure his fabrics after his garments are stitched, Miyake was able to maintain the accordion structure of the pleat, turning a series of folds into sculptural, often futuristic forms unbound by the shape of the human body. In 1993, Miyake debuted “garment pleating” in his Pleats Please line, in which the clothes are constructed at a size that is larger than what is intended for the finished product. The pleats are then created — a process that involves folding and ironing and is separate from the joining of seams — and individual pieces are subsequently hand-fed into a heat press. The pleats are permanent and the garments can be worn and washed without losing their shape.
Miyake’s pleats run the gamut in scale, which enabled him to evoke dramatic, sharp silhouettes and flowy movements in equal measure. In essence, he created an entirely new material whose iterations are infinite — a feat of technology as much as fashion.
Other innovations include Miyake’s 1997 Just Before collection, which introduced a series of tube-knit dresses that could be cut as desired, reducing both work and resources. His Reality Lab now investigates new materials, such as a fully recycled polyester. Miyake’s prowess, in fact, captured another iconic figure in the tech world: Steve Jobs, for whom the designer made hundreds of identical black turtlenecks, the late Apple founder’s sartorial signature.
Find a collection of vintage Issey Miyake day dresses, jackets, shirts and other clothing on 1stDibs.
Issey Miyake Magazine Spread by Laurie Rosenwald for Vogue
By Issey Miyake
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A double-sided laminated sheet showcasing Laurie Rosenwald’s 1980s postmodern graphic work for Issey Miyake. This example was taken from an issue of Vogue. Rosenwald is an accomplish...
Paper
$1,475
H 13.5 in W 10.25 in D 1 in
Original Program for Nantucket Stage Production Dracula, Signed by Edward Gorey
Located in Nantucket, MA
Original program for the Nantucket Stage Company Production of "Dracula", signed by Edward Gorey, 1973. The Nantucket Stage Company (which became the Stra...
Paper
$168
H 12.6 in W 9.65 in D 0.01 in
Vogue Magazine Cover – March 1, 1917 – Illustration by Frank X. Leyendecker
Located in Langweer, NL
Vogue Magazine Cover – March 1, 1917 – Illustration by Frank X. Leyendecker Elegant original Vogue magazine cover from March 1, 1917, featuring an exquisite illustration by Frank Xa...
Paper
Art Deco Fortune Magazine Cover, December 1938
Located in Dallas, TX
Presenting a fabulous original Art Deco Fortune Magazine Cover, December 1938. The cover of Fortune Magazine for December 1938, fram...
Paper
Art Deco Fortune Magazine Cover, August 1936
Located in Dallas, TX
Presenting a fabulous original Art Deco Fortune Magazine Cover, August 1936. The cover of Fortune Magazine for August 1936, framed a...
Paper
Art Deco Fortune Magazine Cover October 1936
Located in Dallas, TX
Presenting a fabulous original Art Deco Fortune magazine cover October 1936. The cover of Fortune Magazine for October 1936, framed ...
Paper
Art Deco Fortune Magazine Cover May, 1938
Located in Dallas, TX
Presenting a fabulous original Art Deco Fortune Magazine cover May, 1938. The cover of Fortune Magazine for May 1938, framed and mat...
Paper
1960s Vogue Magazine Framed Covers, Set of 3
Located in Stamford, CT
Set of three framed 1960s Vogue Magazine covers. Left to right: September 1964 cover features model Wilhelmina photographed by David Bailey. N...
Glass, Wood, Paper
Art Deco Fortune Magazine Cover, February 1938
Located in Dallas, TX
Presenting a fabulous original Art Deco Fortune Magazine Cover, February 1938. The cover of Fortune Magazine for February 1938, framed and matted. This is an original cover, no...
Paper
Art Deco Fortune Magazine Cover - October 1938
Located in Dallas, TX
PRESENTING a FABULOUS Original Art Deco Fortune Cover – October 1938. The cover of ‘Fortune Magazine’ for October 1938, framed and matted. This is an ORIGINAL COVER, not a re-print or copy. It is the cover of an actual 1938 Fortune Magazine and we can 100% certify it’s authenticity. We have attached a COA on the back of the frame. The frame is modern. It is a silver, industrial style frame with black and white beveled matting. The frame and matting are perfect for the style of the era. The cover print is an Art Deco depiction of an ethnic Hispanic Village and Lady carrying a basket of fruit on her head with industrialization in the background in CLASSIC ART DECO STYLE. The cover is in near mint condition as can be seen from the photos. This is one of the more iconic covers of Fortune. Pained by ‘Covarrubias’ as noted and signed on the bottom left. Miguel Covarrubias also known as José Miguel Covarrubias Duclaud (22 November 1904 — 4 February 1957) was a Mexican painter, caricaturist, illustrator, ethnologist and art historian. Miguel’s artwork and celebrity caricatures have been featured in The New Yorker and Vanity Fair magazines. The linear nature of his drawing style was highly influential to other caricaturists such as Al Hirschfeld. Miguel’s first book of caricatures The Prince of Wales and Other Famous Americans was a hit, though not all his subjects were thrilled that his sharp, pointed wit was aimed at them. He immediately fell in love with the Harlem jazz scene, which he frequented with Rosa and friends including Eugene O’Neill and Nickolas Muray. He counted many notables among his friends including Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes and W.C. Handy for whom he also illustrated books. Miguel’s caricatures of the jazz clubs were the first of their kind printed in Vanity Fair. He managed to capture the spirit of the Harlem Renaissance in much of his work as well as in his book, Negro Drawings. He did not consider these caricatures, but serious drawings of people, music and a culture he loved. Covarrubias also did illustrations for George Macy, the publisher of The Limited Editions Club, including Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Green...
Paper
David Hockney Images and Thoughts for Vogue magazine
By David Hockney
Located in New York, NY
Poster in 1985 created for the exhibition "David Hockney Images and thoughts for Vogue magazine" for the Galerie Claude Bernard in Paris. It promoted the work that the artist created...
Aluminum
$259Sale Price|24% Off
H 23.75 in W 19.75 in D 0.75 in
Art Deco Fortune Magazine Cover, September 1930
Located in Dallas, TX
Presenting a fabulous original Art Deco fortune magazine cover, September 1930. The cover of Fortune Magazine for September 1930, fr...
Paper
$300
H 9.45 in W 6.7 in D 0.01 in
The Lady’s Magazine 1784 Frontispiece: Allegorical Temple of Learning and Virtue
Located in Langweer, NL
The Lady’s Magazine 1784 Frontispiece: Allegorical Temple of Learning and Virtue Description: This finely engraved frontispiece features three classical draped figures approaching a...
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