From Steve Jobs' iconic turtleneck to bold micro pleats, a look back at the legacy of fashion's Issey Miyake (2024)

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Issey Miyake was one of the first Japanese designers to show in Paris, and opened the door for Japanese fashion to a global audience.

Miyake was obsessed with the use of different types of fabrics and materials in his clothing, including Japanese washi paper and rattan.

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Miyake also used traditional Japanese fabrics and designs, drawing inspiration from his home country.

He paid homage to Japanese craft and design through his works, including origami.

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Miyake's most iconic designs are his micro pleats and his Bao Bao bags.

With micro pleating, garments are sandwiched between layers of paper and fed into a heat press to be pleated.

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Miyake often used dancers to model his pleated clothing.

Miyake embraced asymmetry as a way to create a sense of movement in his clothing.

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The Bao Bao bag's triangular pieces change flat surfaces into three-dimensional ones, creating new forms.

Steve Jobs' signature black mock neck is a Miyake creation. In his biography, Jobs writes that he asked Miyake to make him some of the mock necks, "and he made me like a hundred of them."

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In 2010, Miyake received Japan's Order of Culture, the country's highest honor for the arts.