Issey Miyake founded the Miyake Design Studio in 1970 and started to present the collections in Paris beginning in 1973. Miyake's exploration of the space created between the body and the cloth surrounding it has evolved, always starting from a one piece of cloth. Miyake has constantly set his sights upon the future and the next stage of design, whether his functional and versatile "PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE" series (1993-) or the "A-POC" (A Piece of Cloth/ 1998-) series, that introduced a single process whereby continuous rolls of fabric, texture, and articles of clothing could be made from a single piece of thread. Today, Miyake works with his research and development team named Reality Lab. to explore new possibilities of making things and build upon the distinctive characteristics of "regenerative" materials, ever mindful of the need for research and material development that will address our dwindling natural resources and the environment.
REALITY LAB.
A research and development team led by Issey Miyake and two staff members, Manabu Kikuchi (a textile engineer) and Sachiko Yamamoto (a technical engineer) and comprised of a group of designers and pattern engineers, some of whom are young. The team was formed in 2007. It is a team based upon the principal of collaboration and teamwork. Their goal is, through research and development of materials and techniques, to explore the future of making things from clothing to industrial products. It always seeks to create products that reflect what people need and to find new ways to stimulate creative production in Japan.
