ISSEY MIYAKE // RTW ARCHITECTURE ft. KKAA
The design world gained so very much from your presence Issey Miyake. You were a gift to fashion design and some may say architecture.
In the same way that Issey Miyake found a collaboration between design and technology to showcase the human form many of the great architects of the world are celebrated for this very thing in regard to building form.
{left, Issey Miyake pleated garment / right: Kengo Kuma, architect, KKAA}
Miyake said he was not interested in fashion, only in design for living. The relationship between people and the cloth enfolding and enwrapping their bodies and about cloth’s fibers and techniques was his objective when designing garments.
Bold choices and fluid forms in architecture, as in Miyake's garments, also have a function beyond beauty. The shapes and folds of the interior and exterior of the building possess the structure in a way that makes them feel as if they have come to life while working with many other elements like lighting, air flow and functionality.
More on that later. Let us celebrate Issey Miyake.
{Issey Miyake poses at a photo opportunity at the exhibition "U-Tsu-Wa" in Tokyo}
[REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon, Japan]
{A star-like creation for Issey Miyake / 1999-2000 autumn-winter ready-to-wear collections.}
[Photograph: Pierre Verdy/EPA]
In the late 1980s, he developed a new way of pleating by wrapping fabrics between layers of paper and putting them into a heat press, with the garments holding their pleated shape. This process led to the development of his signature "Pleats, Please" line.
{Photography: Thierry Orban / Karl Prouse / Fashion Show / gettyimages.com}
Comfortable and beautiful too, these clothes have become deeply entrenched in the daily lives of modern women. This brand reflects Issey Miyake’s fundamental concept that “design is not for philosophy, but for life,” and continues to evolve today.
{via}
These clothes combine functionality - they’re light and wrinkle-proof, they don’t need to be dry-cleaned, and they can be folded to a compact size for easy storage and carrying - with a versatility that makes them suitable for all settings in your daily life.
A true example of Issey Miyake's work that exemplifies his approach to clothing, combining a respect for tradition with technological experimentation is his A-POC Le Feu. Or, A Piece of Cloth.
{A-PoC Le Feu, by Issey Miyake and Dai Fujiwara, 1999}
[Photograph: Yasuaki Yoshinaga]
A-POC is a long tube of knitted cloth from which one can cut, without wasting any material, a variety of different clothes to suit the customer's style, taste and requirements. The A-POC range was launched in Paris at Miyake's show for spring/summer 1999 and promoted as the designer's concept for the next century.
Each item is designed to be slightly oversized when cut from the roll, allowing users to further customize their garments with scissors—sleeve length, bias, and neckline are just a few of the possibilities.
By making the wearer the ultimate designer of the outfit, Miyake and Fujiwara's rapid, efficient, and infinitely customizable system pushes conventional textile technology and creates everyday clothing that transcends ephemeral fashion trends.
My top fav looks (that I would DTW, die to wear) from the Fall 2022 RTW show...
Issey Miyake did not foray into architecture other than his collaboration with Pritzker Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando on 20_21 Design Sight.
Opened in 2007, it is Japan's first design museum led by issey miyake, naoto fukasawa, and taku satoh. One of Tokyo’s signature works of architecture: two triangular shards of steel-reinforced concrete and glass that rise up out of the ground, conveying lightness and poise.
The structure is very reminiscent of his pleats please show...
KKAA, INFLUENCED BY MIYAKE'S DESIGNS?
KKAA, led by architect Kengo Kuma proposes architecture that opens up new relationships between nature, technology, and human beings.
His references for Hongkou Soho in Shanghai are closely related to those of Miyake.
"The image of gentle connection is expressed in the façade and public space of the building. For the façade, we created “pleats”, made of aluminum mesh in (18mm width) like woven lace, which forms a soft dress for women. The pleats change their expressions gradually according to the angle, strength, and tone of sunshine." - Kengo Kuma
Kuma has so many impressive projects full of inspiration. My favorite one that he designed is an enclosed space of the existing emergency stairs in one of my favorite buildings, Casa Batlió in Barcelona, by my favorite architect of all time, Antoni Gaudi. Yes, my favorite.
{photography Jerry Yin, ©︎ Eiichi Kano}
{photography Jerry Yin, ©︎ Eiichi Kano}
This project is a Tribute to the genius use of Mediterranean light by Gaudi in Casa Batlió. The public space is also like a creature’s skin, represented with stone and aluminum panels, which creates an atmosphere totally different from ordinary “hard” buildings
"While in Casa Batlló the 8 story original central patio captures the natural light and distributes it evenly to all the corners of the house, in the new project this vertical travel is done within the 8 story enclosed space of the existing emergency stairs, using a series of suspended aluminum chain screens to capture light, in this case artificial, in order to create an ever-changing experience from the brightness of the rooftop to the dark depths of the old coal cellar in the basement."
Of course Issey didn't stop at clothing or influencing architecture. He was also famous for his perfume, bags, shoes, hats...and of course Steve Jobs famous black turtle neck.
Now where can I get this bag????
thanks for the #inspo @isseymiyakeofficial