Are we creating an environment in design where the next Issey Miyake might flourish? If young designers take one lesson from the practice of iconic Japanese designer Issey Miyake, it should be the importance of bringing innovation to life.
For close to half a century, Japanese designer Issey Miyake has been re-defining the relationship between cloth and the human body, unconstrained by existing notions of how fashion should frame the body. He founded Miyake Design Studio (MDS) in Tokyo in 1970, and it was here that he and his team began to explore and develop new ideas for how technology and fashion could work together – particularly through the celebrated Pleats Please collection. Most importantly, he brought those ideas to life.
In today’s fast-paced world, in which new ideas – often barely prototyped – are regularly showcased at Milan, devoured by the press and then promptly forgotten, how can we expect designers to deliver truly innovative products that will remain relevant for decades to come?
The pleating technique used in Miyake’s Pleats Please range, for example, took over four years to perfect. “Mr. Miyake always says that to create new ideas is good, but not complete,” says Sawako Ogitani, who has worked as a Senior Executive at MDS since 1991. “You have to realise those ideas. It’s something he cherishes as a designer’s responsibility to society and people.”
See the full story in Indesign #66. Subscribe here.
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
In the pursuit of an uplifting synergy between the inner world and the surrounding environment, internationally acclaimed Interior Architect and Designer Lorena Gaxiola transform the vibration of the auspicious number ‘8’ into mesmerising artistry alongside the Feltex design team, brought to you by GH Commercial.
Sub-Zero and Wolf’s prestigious Kitchen Design Contest (KDC) has celebrated the very best in kitchen innovation and aesthetics for three decades now. Recognising premier kitchen design professionals from around the globe, the KDC facilitates innovation, style and functionality that pushes boundaries.
Channelling the enchanting ambience of the Caffè Greco in Rome, Budapest’s historic Gerbeaud, and Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Ross Didier’s new collection evokes the designer’s affinity for café experience, while delivering refined seating for contemporary hospitality interiors.
Pushing boundaries and fusing the philosophical with the physical – Lucy McRae has carved out an utterly unique body of work (pun intended) that has a firm eye on the future. We talk with the ‘body architect’ ahead of her first retrospective show, now open in Melbourne.
Elana Castle looks through her design lens at two of the stellar installations from this year’s extraordinary burn.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Extrapolating the typology of farmhouse architecture, Cameron Anderson Architects (CAARCH) has drawn on the local architecture of Mudgee in both form and materiality to deliver a surprising suite of buildings.
In our series spotlighting aficionados across the design industry, we spoke with Alexandra Guglielmino, who leads the Art Advisory team at Bluethumb Art Gallery.