Issey Miyake was born in Hiroshima in 1938 and witnessed the atomic bombing of the city in 1945. As a child he wanted to become a dancer. After graphic design and fashion studies in Tokyo he moved to Paris where he worked with Guy LarocheGuy Laroche (1921-1989) was a French fashion designer and founder of the eponymous line. He began his career in millinery and opened his first high fashion atelier in 1956. His style was one of vibrant, well combined colors and careful craftsmanship, a marker of Haute Couture. In life, Laroche was known for his humility and grace, as opposed to the extravagant ways of other designers of the time. Apart from creating practical fashion, Laroche has launched a series of perfumes such as “Fidji” and “Drakkar”. and Hubert de GivenchyHubert James Taffin de Givenchy was born in 1927 into a family with aristocratic and artistic origins. After studies at the École des beaux-arts, he started working for Pierre Balmain, Christian Dior and the Avant Garde designer Elsa Schiaparelli. He opened his own design house in 1952, being the youngest in Paris’ progressive fashion scene. His first line was one of cheap fabrics but it stood out thanks to his innovative approach in design.
Givenchy, the creator of the iconic “Balloon Coat” and the “Baby Doll” dress, was also known for his famous clients, which included Ingrid Bergman, Marlen Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Grace Kelly, Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis and Sophia Loren
. Upon his return to Japan in the 1970s he founded the Miyake Studio. It was there, during the 1980s, that Miyake started experimenting in new forms of pleating which resulted in the Pleats Please line. Miyake made his work available to dancers as he felt that the flexibility of his materials met with their need for freedom of movement. Steve Jobs’ famous turtlenecks are the work of Issey Miyake who was famously quoted saying “Design is not for Philosophy; it is for Life”.
The celebrated designer died of liver cancer on August 5, 2022, his many achievements making him one of the most influential people in recent fashion History.
FROM MOROCCO TO JAPAN
The hat was described as “Moroccan inspired”. This is not about the fez (φέσι in Greek) hat, a short cylindrical hat that is often red with a tassel attached to the top. The item is rather inspired by a certain type of traditional Morocco hat made of wool, such as those in the accompanying photo.
Hats of this type were also handmade in the Moroccan coastal town of Essaouira during the 1960’s, to protect the hippy-surfers from the elements. First, the wool is ‘carded’ – a process which involves stretching the fibres of the wool to make it softer and more durable. The carded wool is then made into a hat by using a wooden hand spindle – an ancient traditional way of knitting that produces a garment of superior quality.
AN ELONGATED HEAD FOR AN ELONGATED HAT
Elongated, top-pointed hats and other headdresses have been worn since ancient times for aesthetic purposes or to connote social status; such elongated headdresses were sometimes coupled with intentional cranial deformity. One example is represented by the anthropomorphic figurine made of clay that was unearthed at Hakemi Use in south/east Turkey.
Such figures are usually depicted standing and slightly leaning forward. Their facial features and organs are not indicated. These specific items, which have high headdresses, usually wear a dress extending from neck to feet. The foreheads are backswept. Since a similar situation is seen on the unearthed skeletons in the same area, the existence of an intentional cranial deformity is deducted.
The item bears a pointed top and black grosgrain trimming along the lining. It is stretch fit and made in Japan. The hat is part of Issey Miyake’s Pleats Please line that was first launched in 1988. According to the website’s text, this is “a collection of clothes (…) made with a unique “garment pleating” technique where the materials are developed from a single thread and pleats are added after sewing the clothes into shape”.