Fashion Japan- Issey Miyake Fragrances And Clothing Deliver The Best From An Unlikely Source

Not all great fashion and fragrance trends come from Paris. Sure, there is a mental image of the Eiffel Tower, the glamor of the runway, and the romance of the landscape that seems to make for a natural fit, and it still is accurate to some degree. But there are many designers emerging in the most unlikely places that could change that trend for future generations. If you have ever heard of the Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake, you already know this to be true. Miyake has been an active, respected, and successful designer for the last forty five years. His career began upon graduating from the Tama Art University in Tokyo, Japan, with a degree in graphic design. He quickly put his knowledge to the test and in just six years after earning credentials in the aforementioned City of Lights as well as the Big Apple, New York City. By 1970, he was ready to carve out a place for his own name in the quickly growing fashion and fragrance industry.

Issey Miyake, the Man

Issey Miyake, born in 1938, came into this world at the wrong time and place. His family lived in Hiroshima when the fateful atomic bomb swept the city from the map. Amazingly enough, he survived the attack at just seven years of age and managed to bounce back from one of the world’s greatest major catastrophes. From early on, he exhibited creativity especially as far as fashion design was concerned. It was this fascination and talent for his area of expertise that led him to Tokyo, where his path would forever be changed into a new and glorious direction.

Miyake Design Studio: The Early Years

Any start-up, especially one in the fashion world, has an uphill battle ahead of it. Luckily, Miyake had learned from some of the best in the world and was more than equipped for the challenge. In the beginning, he played it safe and focused on what he knew — developing quality fashion materials that resonated with the status quo but did little in setting his name apart from the rest of the pack. When the 1980s came along, Miyake was ready to experiment further, taking his raw talent and combining it with years of experience to enhance pleating techniques. His improvements eventually led to the development of a revolutionary style called garment pleating where the garments are cut and sewn, then sandwiched between paper and fed into a heat press. This ready-to-wear approach makes for a much more distinctive and withstanding pattern.

Issey Miyake Fragrances: The Smell of Success

Miyake debuted his Issey Miyake fragrances with L’Eau d’Issey in 1992 (or “Issey water”), which was followed two years later with the Pour Homme product line for men. Since then, Issey Miyake fragrances have grown in quality and importance and caught the eye of a number of the industry’s best perfumers. From 2007 on, Miyake has even enlisted the aid of these greats for a series of “limited time only” perfumes that have garnered further respect within the industry.

Whether it is Issey Miyake fragrances or clothing, this is one designer that proves you don’t have to be from Paris to know fashion!

By:  Gen Wright