Life Lessons From Issey Miyake

Welcome to Life Lessons. This week, we are mourning the loss of Japanese designer Issey Miyake, who’s infamous washable wears and impenetrable pleats helped reign in a new era of fashion technology in the late 1980s. Unfussy, yet simultaneously pretentious, Miyake’s timeless, boundary-breaking designs brought architecture to the runways and minimalism to the streets—mirroring new desires to dress with ease, while creating a de-facto uniform for entrepreneurs and gallerists worldwide. Here, in this 1975 interview with the actor and Factory girl Daniela Morera—pictured above modeling a parachute suit—the late designer shares his thoughts on sado-masochism, pret-a-porter, and the collapse of high fashion. 

———

“Once fashion was only for the high society, was only haute couture. Now it is for everybody. It’s possible to find Collections designed by big names at different prices. In these days everything is designed by someone on high professional level. The people have the chance to choose what they want, what they like best.”

———

 “I think high fashion is finishing because we don’t have any more high fashion designers. For contemporary minded designers it’s very interesting and stimulating to send the biggest number of clothes around the world, and this is possible only with pret-a-porter.”

———

“The only thing that I always like forever is the air.”

———

“I hate any kind of machines but the telephone, because I need it a lot. All the machines frighten me because I’m not able to use them. I don’t understand even a minimal part of a machine. For me it’s a toy to be broken.”

———

“Love is a very difficult word to use for the importance I give to love. Perhaps it will be marvelous to be in love every day, every moment, but it’s very difficult, very, very much for me. I’m not even sure to know when I’m in love. Love is to complicate. I don’t want to use that word, just do something.”

———

“I really love the freedom that there is in the world in these days. Can you imagine we can travel so easily enjoying every country, go to the beach naked, we can dream, we can dance, boys with girls, girls with girls and we can work. There is so much work to do. I’m never satisfied but that’s good for me. The unsatisfaction for me is like a punch that awakes me.”

———

 “I work in Tokyo. I go out a lot in Paris and especially New York, the place where I feel really great, electric, full of energies. I cannot sleep, I cannot stop it, going around during the day and night too.”

———

“A beautiful person is the best product of nature, no comparison with the rest of the nature.”

———

“We can not have many friends coming for visit or entertain, because, we really, have to work very hard! We make everything by ourselves, from fabrics to accessories.”

———

“The sado-maso in Japan it’s a beauty, I have a special book that is so beautiful, it is very philosophical, very spiritual, very different kind of sado-maso. It’s something like the tattoo. In our country tattoo is very spiritual is not for fun like the kids make it in Western countries. In Japan they do it all over the body, to show that they are very brave.”