Love for beautiful clothes knows no limits, but sometimes can face certain obstacles… – like the constant need to iron them, sitting on our luggage desperately trying to fit all we need in or the fact that even though those jeans may look like a dream yet they feel like a nightmare. The sad truth is that beauty and comfort don’t always go together; the truth that Issey Miyake chose to prove wrong.
“I wanted to make clothes as universal as jeans and t-shirts”. But it doesn’t mean boring; this Japanese graphic designer got his education both in East and West, getting to know traditional fashion of Europe and Japan as well as modern designs and needs of casual people. Not a fashion designer, but an artist who chose to work with fabric, he revolutionized lifestyle of many women.
How exactly? In 1993, he presented a new technology he developed: garment pleating. It took high quality 100% polyester fabric – already cut and sewn into the cloth two times and half the size of intended product, two sheets of paper to press it between and a special heat press. The final garment is permanently pleated, what makes it functional, impervious to creases and still stylish, while different kinds of pleats (vertical, horizontal, zigzag) allow for creative forms. This way a new label – Pleats Please by Issey Miyake – was born.
Each season new line of pleated dresses, shirts, pants, skirts and cardigans is presented, coming in couple of basic colours and in seasonal designs. They are a testament of Miyake’s diverse background and his need for functionality. Light, comfortable and optimistic, they helped women to incorporate beauty into their working lives. “These clothes are no wrappings. You can understand them the way you want, you can wear them the way you want”. So get pleated and pretty.
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