BOUTIQUES

By Eva Fydrych

Issey Miyake - Tokyo

Boutique in Omotesando (Photo by Eva Fydrych / Fashion Studio Magazine)

TOKYO - Issey Miyake is one of the most iconic and influential Japanese designers. He is known for his technology-driven clothing designs, fashion exhibitions and fragrances. His collections are famous for the relationship between innovative fabrics and groundbreaking forms. 

Issey Miyake boutique in Omotesando is a great example of minimalism and simplicity. The store is big and well-lit. It features white walls, simple furniture and literally no decorations, except huge floor-to-ceiling mirrors that create an impression of a larger space.

All photos by Eva Fydrych / Fashion Studio Magazine

Issey Miyake Autumn/Winter 2012

Issey Miyake Autumn/Winter 2012

Blue - colour of the season

Pleats Please

All photos by Eva Fydrych / Fashion Studio Magazine

*NO PART OF THIS SITE, OR ANY OF THE CONTENT CONTAINED HEREIN, MAY BE USED OR REPRODUCED IN ANY MANNER WHATSOEVER WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER(S). � 2012 Fashion Studio. All rights reserved. 

Location: 3-18-11 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Opening hours: 11am - 8pm

ABOUT ISSEY MIYAKE

Issey Miyake, the designer whose 1978 book was titled East Meets West, brought together Japanese influences and European fashion. Miyake, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, came to Paris in the late 1960s. Although he worried he wouldn't fit into the world of haute couture, he capitalized on a time of great change to make that world fit him. His kimono-influenced look � loose and accessible clothing made with an appreciation for the architecture of the fabric � was something new, and he has not stopped innovating since. He created the first fashion to appear on the cover of Artforum. He invented a technique for permanent pleating of clothing. His latest project, from the lab of young designers he leads, comprises garments that are each made of one piece of recycled, folded material. In 1960, Miyake wondered why fashion was not recognized as a true field of design � then he made sure that such a question became obsolete.

Source: Times

DRESS HAPPY NEW YEAR, S/S 98 (Photos courtesy of Dazed and Confused)

TOP: GUEST ARTIST SERIES NO. 1 YASUMASA MORIYAMA, 1996; SHORTS: GUEST ARTIST SERIES

NO. 2 NOBUYOSHI ARAKI, 1997

DRESS GUEST ARTIST SERIES NO. 1 YASUMASA MORIMURA, 1996

DRESS HAPPY NEW YEAR, S/S 98

In the late 1980s, Miyake began to experiment with new methods of pleating that would allow both flexibility of movement for the wearer as well as ease of care and production. This eventually resulted in a new technique called garment pleating (1993's Pleats Please) in which the garments are first cut and sewn, then sandwiched between layers of paper and fed into a heat press, where they are pleated. The fabric's 'memory' holds the pleats and when the garments are liberated from their paper cocoon, they are ready to wear. The process permanently retains washboard rows of horizontal, vertical or diagonal knife-edge pleats.

For two decades, Issey Miyake's Pleats Please has artfully fused together the worlds of high-tech science and avant-garde Japanese design.

me ISSEY MIYAKE

Don't miss a special Christmas collection by me ISSEY MIYAKE* that hit the stores on 15 November. The special edition features accessories, T-shirts and one piece stretchable pleats, all in bright red, blue and yellow.

*me Issey Miyake is a line of "exclusive one-sized shirts that stretch to fit the wearer" that are sold in plastic tube, named Cauliflower for the non-Asian market.

Me ISSEY MIYAKE / AOYAMA (Photos courtesy of Issey Miyake)

Click to enlarge

Photos courtesy of Issey Miyake

DID YOU KNOW?

• A-POC - is a custom-collection for men and women started by Miyake in 1997. Tubes of fabric are machine-processed and can be cut into various shapes by the consumer. A-POC is anacronym of 'a piece of cloth'.

• Issey Myiake is one of the co-Directors of 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT, Japan's first design museum and a research centre for design. It was constructed by Tadao Ando, and opened in Roppongi, Tokyo in March 2007. The museum is operated by The Miyake Issey Foundation.

• Current exhibition at 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT features work of one of the best Japanese graphic designers, Ikko Tanaka. Highly recommended!

Source: Issey Miyake, Times, Dazed & Confused, Wikipedia

_______________________________________________________________________

Read more about Tokyo: STREET TRENDS AW 2012

Shibuya & Harajuku (Photos by Eva Fydrych / Fashion Studio Magazine)

Back To Top