Blog

Nov 12, 2024

The Enduring Appeal Of Pleats Please Issey Miyake | British Vogue

Any seasoned Pleats Please Issey Miyake wearer will be more than familiar with the defining qualities – and joy! – that a creation from the brand can bring. Each garment is like a work of art,

Any seasoned Pleats Please Issey Miyake wearer will be more than familiar with the defining qualities – and joy! – that a creation from the brand can bring. Each garment is like a work of art, carefully pleated using unique, dedicated craftsmanship developed over several decades.

Like a form of expression, the pleats – made using over three times the amount of cloth as the size of the final garment – breathe, stretch and oscillate as the fabric moves. The zig zags also create shadows and give more depth to the fabric, adding an extra dimension to otherwise simple pieces.

The definition of versatile and low maintenance, these clothes are machine-washable and won’t wrinkle, meaning they will curl up into a suitcase and unfurl like a flower in a new destination, with no steaming necessary.

The unveiling of Pleats Please Issey Miyake during the finale of the spring/summer 1994 Paris collection.

“‘Pleats please.’ That was my thought whenever I met anyone. I was thrilled by the birth of such wonderful clothes,” Midori Kitamura – the late Issey Miyake’s longtime collaborator – wrote in Taschen’s special book on the origins of the brand, which was established in 1993 after years of pivotal research. “Pleats Please are clothes designed to suit the needs and style of every woman,” she muses. “They are valued not only for their beauty but also for their practicality. The clothes continue to be as popular today partly due to the fact that they project an air of authority suitable to any occasion, whether special, everyday or for travel”.

“Our beliefs and practices in design and making have never changed since the beginning”, the design team tells Vogue of the ethos and technicalities that form the foundations of Pleats Please. “As times change, our research and development, from yarns and textiles to pattern design, is constantly progressing and evolving.”

Issey Miyake spring/summer 1995.

Issey Miyake spring/summer 1995.

Issey Miyake’s fascination with pleats began in 1988, following an exhibition he held at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris entitled Issey Miyake A-ŪN. “After the exhibition, I became convinced that I had already accomplished everything that I could; and so I began to think about a new journey upon which to embark,” he wrote in the aforementioned Taschen book. The inspiration for his new chapter? A polyester-silk scarf, folded with pleats processed at an angle.

He was an innovator of pleated fabrications, and worked closely with textile aficionado Makiko Minagawa to ideate new techniques through trial and experimentation, thus leading to Pleats Please, an official umbrella brand to celebrate and universalise his material research.

The pleating process.

The techniques he pioneered were not about fashion, but about clothing as a functional product. By moving away from the natural fibres he had formerly relied on, and instead experimenting with polyester – which can be manipulated at high temperatures, utilising the thermoplasticity of synthetic fibres – Miyake developed his own quality synthetic material and found a way to make pleats permanent. The fabric he subsequently created allows a wearer to wash and scrunch it as much as they desire, without fear of damaging the pleats. And who better to road-test the early prototypes than dancers – specifically, William Forsythe’s Frankfurt Ballet Company – who sweated and twirled in Miyake’s pleats before they officially went into production.

Issey Miyake spring/summer 1995.

Now, several decades on, Pleats Please is considered a cult brand, beloved by a broad demographic of fans, from those that buy into the new collections to those that rewear pieces they’ve cherished for many years. If you walk the streets in any major city – say, Japan, New York or London – it’s highly likely you will spot a plisséd Pleats Please garment or two.

Testament to its ageless appeal, Gen-Z has taken to buying Pleats Please on resale sites like Depop: searches for the brand on the platform are reportedly up 39 per cent since the start of the year.

Paloma Elsesser wearing a vintage pleated Issey Miyake creation, sourced from Archive Vintage.

Mary-Kate Olsen wearing an Issey Miyake gown at the CFDAs in 2013.

The enduring charm of Pleats Please lies in its simplicity. Every piece embodies the timeless spirit that led Miyake to start his Pleats Please venture in the 1990s. As surmised by the current design team: “We are delighted that the brand has grown to what it is today, loved by people all over the world. We will continue to make our own unique creations, sending out positive messages through design and visual expression.”

Pleats Please Issey Miyake

High-Neck Knitted Midi-Dress

Selfridges

Pleats Please Issey Miyake

Pleated Woven Top-Handle Bag

Selfridges

Pleats Please Issey Miyake

Pleated Knitted Cardigan

Selfridges

Pleats Please Issey Miyake

Midi-Skirt

Selfridges

Pleats Please Issey Miyake

Basics Maxi Dress

Ssense

Pleats Please Issey Miyake

Half Moon Pleated Shoulder Bag

Selfridges

Pleats Please Issey Miyake

Plissé Fringed Skirt

1stDibs

Pleats Please Issey Miyake

Sculptural Pleated Dress

1stDibs

Pleats Please Issey Miyake

Denim Trompe L’Oeil Top

1stDibs

Pleats Please Issey Miyake

Pleated Woven Dress

Selfridges

Pleats Please Issey Miyake

Button-Down Blouse

1stDibs

Pleats Please Issey Miyake

Plissé Straight-Leg Trousers

Farfetch

Pleats Please Issey Miyake

Abstract-Print Top

Vestiaire Collective

Pleats Please Issey Miyake

Tote Bag

Issey Miyake

Pleats Please Issey Miyake

Daily Pleats Bag

Issey Miyake

Pleats Please Issey Miyake

Pleated Zip-Up Top

Vestiaire Collective

Pleats Please Issey Miyake

Pleated Maxi Dress

Ssense

Pleats Please Issey Miyake

Pleated Dress

Vestiaire Collective