[Issue Video] ‘Steve Jobs Turtleneck’ and ‘Pleats’ Designer, Issey Miyake Passes Away

Women's Wear 'Pleats Please', Bags 'Bao Bao', Watches 'Issey Miyake Watch' Brand Launch
Late Steve Jobs' Favorite Black Turtleneck Also Issey Miyake Brand Product

[Asia Economy PD Yoon Jin-geun] Designer Issey Miyake (三宅一生), who launched the fashion brand ‘Issey Miyake,’ passed away on the 5th at the age of 84. He was also famous for designing Steve Jobs’ black turtleneck top.

According to Japanese media reports including NHK and Nihon Keizai Shimbun on the 9th, he died on the 5th at a hospital in Tokyo. It is known that he had been battling liver cancer during his lifetime.

Born in Hiroshima, Japan in 1938, Issey Miyake graduated from Tama Art University in Tokyo and studied design and haute couture techniques in Paris, France in 1965. He established Miyake Design Studio in 1970 and launched the ‘Issey Miyake’ brand the following year in 1971.

Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake (center in the photo) passed away on the 5th, according to Japanese media reports. The photo shows Issey Miyake presenting the '1993/1994 Fall/Winter Ready-to-Wear Collection' in Paris, France, on March 17, 1993. Photo by AP, Yonhap News

Issey Miyake gained industry attention with the ‘Pleats Please’ brand. The pleats were inspired by the traditional Japanese garment ‘one sheet of cloth’ and were first introduced in 1988, officially launching from the Spring/Summer season of 1994. It became popular as a lightweight, wrinkle-resistant women’s clothing brand.

The ‘Bao Bao’ bag brand, made by attaching triangular-shaped structures onto fabric, is also familiar to the Korean public. The ‘Bao Bao’ bags attracted public attention for their characteristic of changing shape depending on the contents placed inside.

Additionally, in 1992, he collaborated with French Beaute Prestige to launch the perfume brand ‘Issey Miyake Parfums,’ and in 2001, he expanded his product range by launching the watch brand ‘Issey Miyake Watch’ in collaboration with various designers.

Issey Miyake also designed the black turtleneck top frequently worn by the late Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple. It is a well-known story that Steve Jobs requested hundreds of turtlenecks sold under the Issey Miyake brand.

In 2007, he opened Japan’s first design museum, ‘21_21 Design Sight,’ and engaged in design-related activities for many years, including developing clothing using recycled fibers. During his lifetime, he received the Order of Culture in Japan in 2010 and the Legion of Honour, 3rd Class, in France in 2016.