The illustrated biography tracing the thread of Issey Miyake

Spread from the book Where did Issey Miyake come from?

From the book Where did Issey Miyake come from?. Courtesy of Miyake Design Studio and HeHe

(Image credit: Yasuaki Yoshinaga)

last updated 31 October 2022

The ineffable talent of Issey Miyake: even his longstanding friends and collaborators ‘cannot claim to truly know the full scope of who he is,’ writes Kazuko Koike in her new book Where did Issey come from?

But Koike is better positioned than most to offer insight into Miyake’s body-bending world. The designer is renowned for his revolutionary approach to fabrication, using industrial innovation to pleat and drape garments, seen in the brand’s Pleats Please and A-POC line. A Tokyo-born cultural commentator and creative director, Koike has already authored a complete chronology of Miyake’s clothing (Issey Miyake, 2016) and 1978’s Issey Miyake: East Meets West, and she worked with a young Miyake when his star was on the rise.

‘In Issey Miyake’s case,’ Koike writes, ‘it might not be inappropriate to think of him as being equipped with constantly whirring rotors of inspiration that allow him to make sudden take-offs and landings.’ In the book, which flies through time, space and dimension, Koike attempts to distil the fashion visionary’s life into words and image.

Issey Miyake’s A/W 2018 collection here — *See Issey Miyake’s A/W 2018 collection* *here.* *Abve, from the book ‘Where did Issey Miyake come from?’. Courtesy of Miyake Design Studio and HeHe*

Presented first in English, and then again in Japanese, we trace the designer’s life-thread through his early days in Hiroshima, studying graphic design at the Tama Art University in Tokyo, graduating in 1964, and the kaleidoscopic Paris and New York years, before returning to Tokyo in 1970, where he founded the industrially-functional Miyake Design Studio.

The books greatest joy, however, is not its factual chronology of Miyake’s career, but Koike’s compelling, lyrical musings on his style, personality, and vision. ‘[He] travels not only for relaxation, but for what he finds interesting,’ she writes in a chapter transparently titled ‘Travel and People’. ‘Then he returns to Japan with something completely unexpected.’ Elsewhere, she notes, ‘[He] excels in being tuned in to the zeitgeist. He acts so quickly that I often wonder how his staff can keep up with him.’

Elegantly penned, the volume dives into Miyake’s vivid talent, tracing the thread; not only of his roots, but his thoughts – daring to postulate on what he might do next.

English and Japanese covers of the book Where did Issey Miyake come from? — English and Japanese covers of *Where did Issey Miyake come from?*. *Courtesy of Miyake Design Studio and HeHe*

Japanese script spread from the book Where did Issey Miyake come from? — From the Japanese section of the book. *Courtesy of Miyake Design Studio and HeHe*

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For more information, visit the Hehe website and the Issey Miyake website

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Elly Parsons is the Digital Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees Wallpaper.com and its social platforms. She has been with the brand since 2015 in various roles, spending time as digital writer – specialising in art, technology and contemporary culture – and as deputy digital editor. She was shortlisted for a PPA Award in 2017, has written extensively for many publications, and has contributed to three books. She is a guest lecturer in digital journalism at Goldsmiths University, London, where she also holds a masters degree in creative writing. Now, her main areas of expertise include content strategy, audience engagement, and social media.

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