Kimono, (untitled),

1995

The traditions of Issey Miyake’s homeland have had a lasting influence on his designs. The polyester plissé coat, on the inside of which are sewn colorful appliqués, takes up attributes of the kimono—the Japanese garment par excellence. Nevertheless, it isn’t a kimono in the traditional sense, which, as the epitome of beauty, has always been subject to a strict code taking into account the season it is worn, the age and gender of the person wearing it, as well their social class. Miyake tried to reduce the costs of his clothing by using polyester and modern technology, and in 1988 offered affordable everyday fashion with the introduction of his Pleats Please collection. Like the kimono, virtually all of his pieces are constructed out of flat surfaces and only become three-dimensional when worn. The collection 132 5, made of recycled polyester, is based on the origami technique, in which every single (1) piece of clothing unfurls into a three-dimensional (3) garment as soon as it is released from its two-dimensional (2) folded state. The numeral 5 represents the temporary state of being worn. As with his fellow countrymen Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo (Comme des Garçons), Miyake refused to follow Parisian dictates of fashion and its existing beauty ideal—the form-fitting silhouette. In 1997, Miyake retired as a designer, and in 2007 he opened the museum and design research center 21_21 Design Sight in Tokyo. (Sabine Flaschberger)