Issey Miyake

Issey Miyake was a Japanese stylist, designer and entrepreneur. After working in the ateliers of Guy Laroche and Givenchy, he opened his own studio in Japan in 1971. His curiosity led him to the latest technologies, experimenting with new materials, fabrics and textures. As a furniture designer, he explored new forms and investigated the fundamental relationships between fabric, volume and the human body.

In 1999, he retired from catwalk shows to devote his body and soul to the development of Issey Miyake Inc. In 2007, he created Reality Lab with Manabu Kikuchi and Sachiko Yamamoto. The research team of designers and engineers developed new concepts resulting in an origami-inspired clothing collection conceived in tandem with computer scientist Jun Mitani, an expert in 3D modeling. Origami also inspired the N-EI ISSEY MIYAKE lamp collection designed for Artemide in 2012. In 2016, he collaborated with Finnish brand Iittala, which specializes in glass home accessories, to realize the Pause for Harmony capsule collection, which included accessories referencing Japanese origami and traditional Finnish decorative motifs.