Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake dies at age 84

The international fashion industry has suffered a great loss after it was announced that Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake has passed away.

The world renowned fashion designer passed away in a Tokyo hospital on Friday, 5 August, after a long battle with lung cancer.

Speaking to AFP, an unnamed employee from his office revealed the news of his death, and also said that the funeral had already taken place, and was only attended by his relatives.

Miyake’s fashion house nurtured many talented young designers, and was known for innovative and dazzling catwalk shows.

After two years of showcasing collections online or with installations during the Covid-19 pandemic, the brand made its live comeback at Paris Fashion Week, in June, with a men’s show featuring models, dancers and acrobats.

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Born in Hiroshima in 1938, he was seven years old when the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city in August 1945.

He survived the blast, which killed an estimated 140 000 people on impact and led to the end of World War II after the bombing of Nagasaki three days later.

Miyake studied graphic design at the Tama Art University in Tokyo, and then made his big move to Paris where he became an apprentice to Guy Laroche before working work for Hubert de Givenchy.

Miyake established the Issey Miyake Studio in 1970, and opened his first Paris boutique in the same year.

A decade later, he shifted from his usual design style and began to experiment with unusual materials such as plastic, metal wire, and artesian Japanese paper.

The iconic fashion designer also designed and made over 100 of Apple’s founder, Steve Jobs’ popular polyester-cotton turtlenecks for less than $200 each, which he rocked for the most part of his adulthood.

*Additional reporting from AFP