• Website: isseymiyake.com
• Founded: 1970, Tokyo, Japan
• Founder: Issey Miyake
• Owned By: Issey Miyake Inc. (Independent)
• Known For: Pleats Please, Bao Bao, Homme Plissé, A-POC, L'Eau d'Issey
• Category Focus: Ready-to-wear, handbags, fragrances, menswear, accessories, textile innovation
Issey Miyake is one of the world's most influential fashion houses, renowned for its technological innovation, sculptural pleats, and pioneering approach to fabric engineering. Founded by Issey Miyake in 1970, the Japanese maison revolutionized fashion by combining craftsmanship, industrial technology, and artistic experimentation to create clothing that celebrates movement, comfort, and everyday life.
Known for combining innovative textiles, architectural silhouettes, and functional beauty, Issey Miyake has created iconic collections including Pleats Please, Bao Bao, Homme Plissé, A-POC, 132 5., and the legendary L'Eau d'Issey fragrance. Rather than following traditional luxury conventions, the house continues exploring how technology and design can reshape the relationship between clothing and the human body.
Today, Issey Miyake continues under the creative direction of Satoshi Kondo for the main womenswear collection, preserving the founder's philosophy of innovation while expanding the maison's influence across fashion, industrial design, fragrance, and contemporary art.
Pleats Please
Bao Bao Bags
Homme Plissé Issey Miyake
A-POC (A Piece of Cloth)
132 5. Issey Miyake
L'Eau d'Issey
IM Men
A-POC Able
Issey Miyake founded Miyake Design Studio in 1970 after studying graphic design in Tokyo and working with leading couturiers in Paris and New York. From the beginning, his vision extended beyond fashion itself—he sought to create clothing that combined technology, craftsmanship, and accessibility while responding naturally to the movements of the body.
Throughout the following decades, Miyake pioneered revolutionary textile innovations including Pleats Please, A-POC (A Piece of Cloth), and numerous research-driven collections that blurred the boundaries between fashion, engineering, and industrial design. Although Issey Miyake stepped back from daily design responsibilities in the late 1990s, the house has continued evolving through successive creative leaders while remaining faithful to his philosophy of innovation. Following his passing in 2022, the maison continues celebrating his legacy through ongoing material research and technological experimentation.
Key milestones:
• 1970: Issey Miyake establishes Miyake Design Studio in Tokyo.
• 1971: First womenswear collection presented in New York.
• 1973: Debuts collections in Paris.
• 1993: Launch of Pleats Please Issey Miyake.
• 1998: Introduction of A-POC (A Piece of Cloth).
• 2000: Launch of the Bao Bao Issey Miyake concept, later becoming a standalone line.
• 2022: Issey Miyake passes away, leaving one of fashion's greatest creative legacies.
• 2026: The maison presents its Spring/Summer 2026 collection under Satoshi Kondo, continuing its exploration of movement, innovative textiles, and sculptural silhouettes.
Issey Miyake continues redefining fashion through technological innovation, human-centred design, and a relentless pursuit of creativity.
“Issey Miyake redefined fashion through invention rather than decoration. Its strength lies in transforming advanced textile technology into clothing that feels intuitive, timeless, and remarkably human.”
Issey Miyake matters because it transformed technology into one of fashion's greatest creative tools.
Its influence can be seen across:
• Technical fashion
• Japanese design
• Textile innovation
• Contemporary luxury
By combining scientific research, artistic experimentation, and timeless functionality, Issey Miyake continues shaping the future of fashion through innovation rather than trends.
Issey Miyake vs Yohji Yamamoto
Issey Miyake vs Comme des Garçons
Issey Miyake vs Junya Watanabe
Issey Miyake vs CFCL
