Junya Watanabe’s story has played out in a somewhat traditional way; study fashion in college, land a job in a brand, gain increased influence in said brand, start ones own brand; in a nutshell that’s how Junya Watanabe rose up in the world of fashion.

Born in Fukushima, 1961, Watanabe had a passion for pattern making and desire for creating clothes that were new, original and impactful. He found his way to Bunka Fashion College, following in the likes of Yohji Yamamoto, paving the way for many more such as Jun Takahashi (Undercover), Chitose Abe (Sacai), and more. At Bunka he would continue to build on pattern making ability leading to a position at Comme des Garçons post graduation. Rei Kawakubo not one for emotion, the showing of feelings or explanations, found a trustee in Junya, who would continue to work his way through the Comme des Garçons brand by pushing the brand forward via pattern cutting showcasing the combination of confidence, security and reality on singular garments.

Watanabe joined Comme des Garçons in 1984, working for 3 years under Rei with the mainline collections before taking on the Tricot sub-line in 1987 and then forming in 1992 his own namesake label in 1992 under the Comme des Garçons overarching business.

Born in Hiroshima, 1938, at only 7 years old Miyake suffered a tragedy for which most of us cannot begin to comprehend. On August 6th, 1945, Hiroshima was subject to a devastating moment in human history, an atomic bomb and the hands of the US - an event Miyake would only speak of towards his later days, preferring to remain rather muted on his past,

“I did not want to be labelled, the designer who survived the atomic blast”.

In the context of his works and career, it remains important to understand this past. For Miyake strove to focus on what can be created, about how to move forward and build - such an inspiring and brave way to view the world, despite the adversity from such a tragic event.

Issey Miyake’s approach to design was always rooted in technology and experimentation. Sitting at the intersection of craft and innovation, collaborating with engineers as readily as weavers, his works undoubtedly moved fashion into ways that wouldn’t have come about without his venturing into the world of fashion. Most widely known would be the infamous Pleats Please, introduced in 1993 and commercially available in 1994, pleats was and is revolutionary; lightweight, machine-washable, pleated garments, with the aim of making easy accesible pleated garments for the everyday wardrobe. Several years in the making, countless failures, near misses and long nights, Miyake found the method of which to craft his vision, garments initially cut and sewn 2.5-3 times the size of the final garment, before being heat pressed and permanently pleated in it’s final form. From concept to execution this took several years, would other’s have shown the persistence and end vision to execute in the same way, I think not.

Not only known for Pleats, the world of Issey Miyake has included a vast array of sub-lines that have served many, with varying needs and wants. Pleats Please, the most enduring line remains in production today famous for the above revolutionary pleating technology, for which Steve Jobs hugely admired (The infamous turtleneck which formed Jobs’ uniform also being a Pleats Please piece). A-POC, founded in 1998, developed and furthered the concept of producing whole garments from a single continuous thread, with the aim of reducing waste, enhancing the resourcefullness of fashion through the use of a computer design technology introduced at a time when no-one else was. 132 5. Issey Miyake explored geometric folding to create avant-garde 3D shaped garments, whilst me Issey Miyake and Homme Plisse continue the pleated offering in a more conventional modern light. Whilst Plantation served the more affordable everyday consumer through unisex easy-to-wear silhouettes, and Windcoat utilising structured lightweight fabrics to create outerwear that would feel as light as air.