Fashion designer, who created turtlenecks for Apple's Steve jobs, dies at 84
1 min read . Updated: 14 Aug 2022, 08:55 AM IST
PremiumJapanese fashion designer Issey Miyake, who was known for his boldly sculpted pleated pieces as well as former Apple CEO Steve Jobs' black turtlenecks, died at the age of 84 years due to liver cancer, his office confirmed on Tuesday.
Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake, who was known for his boldly sculpted pleated pieces as well as former Apple CEO Steve Jobs' black turtlenecks, died at the age of 84 years due to liver cancer, his office confirmed on Tuesday as quoted by news agency Associated Press. Miyake died of liver cancer on last Friday.
His office stated that a private funeral ceremony had already been held and other ceremonies will not be held in accordance with Miyake's wishes. Miyake kept his family life private.
This Japan-based designer defined an era in the country's modern history and reached stardom in the 1970s among a generation of artists and designers. Miyake's origami-like pleats changed usual crass polyester into chic and he also used computer technology in weaving.
Miyake's down-to-earth clothing was meant to celebrate the human body regardless of race, build, size or age. He even chose not to identify with that he saw as a frivolous, trend-watching, and conspicuous consumption. His basic concept of designing was to start with a single piece of cloth---be it draped, folded, cut or wrapped.
The agency reported that he took inspiration from different cultures and societal motifs, as well as everyday items like plastic, paper, jute, horsehair, foil, yarn, indigo dyes and wiring. Sometimes, Miyake also evoked images of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, or collaborated with Japanese painter Tadanori Yokoo.
In addition to this, the fashion designer also collaborated with Shiro Kuramata (furniture and interior designer), Irving Penn (photographer), Maurice Bejart (director), Lucie Rie and Ballet Frankfurt (pottery makers).
He was commissioned to design the official Olympic uniform for Lithuania in 1992. Miyake was born in 1938 and was a star as soon as he hit the European runways. His brown top, which combined the Japanese sewn fabric “sashiko" with raw silk knit, was splashed on the cover of the September 1973 issue of Elle magazine.
He was also a pioneer in gender roles, asking feminist Fusae Ichikawa in 1970s to send a message that garments must be comfortable and express the natural beauty of real people. He mostly approved the T-shirt and jeans look.
Once in his book, Miyake wrote, "Designing is like a living organism in that it pursues what matters for its well-being and continuity."
(With AP inputs)
