hailing from hiroshima, issey miyake is a distinguished designer known for his cutting-edge designs and technology-driven clothes. one of his earliest fascinations of clothing design is the japanese kimono. the culturally important garment shuns away from a form-fitting silhouette, and instead focuses on the negative space between the fabrics and the body. the way it drapes on the body is vital, as it toys with the ‘unoccupied space’ and in certain angles or movement gives the illusion of the void being filled. with motion, the garment’s shape changes again, with the volume varying while still adopted on the same body as before. the abstract manipulation of the garments’ volume was further explored by him as shown in his later works (eg the pleats please and homme plisse line).
