Issey Miyake: who was fashion designer and what was he known for including perfume and Steve Jobs’ turtlenecks

Fashion designer and visionary Issey Miyake has died at the age of 84, his company has announced.

It is understood that he died of liver cancer on Friday 5 August and that a private funeral has already taken place, according to Japanese media.

Miyake was famous not only in his native Japan, but also worldwide and became a name celebrated in the global fashion industry.

He was known for creating new, innovative and high-tech styles that were still comfortable and practical.

So, just what clothing did Issey Miyake create, and why are his items famous?

Here’s what you need to know.

Who was Issey Miyake?

Issey Miyake was a Japanese fashion designer, known for innovative styles and perfumes.

He built a global fashion empire, and was known to work with both traditional and modern fashion techniques during his career.

Miyake was born in Hiroshima in 1938, and was just seven years old when the city was destroyed by an atomic bomb dropped by the United States.

He did not talk about the experience often, but told the New York Times in 2009 that he did not want to be known as the “designer who survived the atomic bomb”.

Miyake may be one of the most revolutionary fashion designers, but it was not always his chosen path.

When he was a child he had aspirations of being a dancer or an athlete, but he changed his mind after he read his sister’s fashion magazines.

He completed a graphic design degree at Tokyo Art University, and then moved to Paris in the 1960s to work with celebrated fashion designers Guy Laroche and Hubert de Givenchy.

By 1970, Miyake was back in Tokyo and had opened his namesake design studio, the Miyake Design Studio.

Within a decade he was widely recognised as one of the world’s most pioneering designers.

In 2006, he was awarded with the prestigious Kyoto Prize for his dedication to the arts and then four years later, in 2010, he was given the Order of the Culture for “remarkable accomplishments” in Japan’s culture and arts.

What clothing was Issey Miyake known for?

Miyake is known for his signature line Pleats Please.

He worked with traditional materials, and also non-traditional materials including plastic, metal and paper.

He is known for developing a new way of pleating fabric which involved wrapping it between layers of paper in a heat press.

These pleats stayed in place and didn’t wrinkle, forming the basis of his signature line Pleats Please.

What perfume was Issey Miyake known for?

Miyake was known for creating more than just highly sought after fashion.

He also created must-have fragrances, bags and watches.

In 1992 he launched L’Eau d’Issey which was rumoured to sell out every 14 seconds.

You can buy Issey Miyake’s perfume now, including L’Eau d’Issey, on the Boots website.

Why are Issey Miyake’s turtlenecks famous?

The late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs asked Miyake to design his now famous black turtleneck jumpers.

It is thought that he made around 100 of them which were $175 each, which is around £144.54.

Miyake reportedly had a friendship with Jobs and that is why he provided the entrepreneur with his signature look.

In his biography, titled Steve Jobs, the late Apple co-founder who died in 2011 explained that he asked Miyake to make him some of his black turtlenecks that he liked, "and he made me like 100 of them”.

How was Miyake’s death announced?

Miyake’s death was announced by an employee at his office in Tokyo on Tuesday 9 August.

The fashion designer’s employee told French private international news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP): "He died on the evening of August 5."

Miyake’s funeral had already taken place, with ‘only relatives participating’ in line with his wishes.

The employee also confirmed that the fashion designer’s family have no plans to organise a public ceremony, despite Miyake’s fame.