Issey Miyake's Pleats Please: How One Fabric Technology Redefined the Body
Miyake engineered a new relationship between textile, body, and movement. The vintage market is finally understanding the technology behind the poetry.
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In 1988, Issey Miyake began experimenting with garment pleating — constructing the garment first, oversized, then heat-pressing it into permanent geometric folds. Pleats Please launched in 1993 and became the most instantly recognisable silhouette in Japanese fashion. Pre-2000 Pleats Please pieces have doubled in value in 36 months. A 1995 Seaweed dress now trades for $800-1,200. The hierarchy: 1980s Bodyworks/Rattan, 1990s Pleats Please runway samples, early 2000s A-POC pieces, standard production Pleats Please (100-500 EUR).
The Vintage Guide Signature
