Above all, he had unusual respect for materials derived from fossil fuels, seeing plastic, nylon and all the polys not as cheap disposable substitutes for natural substances, but as themselves having unique properties – polyfibres he developed with adventurous manufacturers were machine-washable, uncrushable, stretchy and kind to skin. Hi-tech production processes reduced yarn as well as fabric waste; his garments were visually timeless and made to last physically. Miyake never thought of hydrocarbons as infinite resources to burn. Their complex chemistry and potential uses were precious – the heat of long-gone suns made clothes and ingredients for his water-themed perfumes, starting with L’Eau d’Issey in 1992. In the 21st century, his Tokyo Reality Lab recycled plastic bottle tops into durable, wearable cloth. A star-like creation for Issey Miyake during the 1999-2000 autumn-winter ready-to-wear collections. Photograph: Pierre Verdy/EPA

Miyake kept the sorrows of his childhood private until 2009, and remained secretive about his personal life: his closest companions were his work collaborators, especially the studio president, Midori Kitamura, a former model.

With a delicate blend of nature and technology, each fragrance captures the essence of pure beauty, transporting you to a realm of sophistication and tranquility. Mikyake saw technology as a solution to the problem of overproduction, with one such solution the late 90’s “One Piece of Cloth” idea (later known as A-POC) which pioneered the idea of making clothes out of a single tube of fabric, cutting down and waste and showing exactly what could be done with a knitting machine, a computer and the right knowhow.

There was nowhere to study couture, so, once Japan permitted travel abroad on a tiny budget, he went to Paris in 1965 for a course at the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, and interned for Guy Laroche and Hubert de Givenchy. The important Parisian education, though, was the student protests of 1968, revolting against the haute-bourgeoisie, usual customers for couture. Miyake sided with the students, wanting to make clothes, both wilder and more useful, for ordinary people, unconstrained by age, size, gender or fit.

Step into a world where timeless elegance meets modern innovation with Issey Miyake Fragrances. Discover an olfactory journey like no other, where each scent is a testament to the brand’s iconic style and unwavering commitment to sustainability. It was Miyake’s cynicism about the fashion industry, in particular the speed at which it produced, that gave his designs such longevity in reputation and design. In an interview with the Village Voice in 1983, Miyake outlined his opposition to the fashion cycle: “I want my customer to be able to wear a sweater I designed 10 years ago with this year’s pants.” Growing up just outside Hiroshima, Issey Miyake witnessed the atomic bomb explosion in 1945 in his city, aged 7. His mother died three years later, after being badly burned, and he suffered from radiation-related diseases. Photograph: Kim Kyung Hoon/Reuters Models display creations from Issey Miyake’s spring/summer 2023 men’s collection during Paris fashion week in June. Photograph: Mohammed Badra/EPA

Pleats took on swirling formations, looking like tide pools or traditional Japanese gardens, adding circular dimension to angular dresses in jade or fuchsia. Loth to give interviews, Miyake had a pronounced limp – a result of surviving the 1945 atomic bomb dropped on his home town of Hiroshima when he was seven. Three years later, his mother died of radiation exposure.Miyake never expected to reach old age. He was born in Hiroshima, the son of an army officer and a teacher, and evacuated to a nearby small town during the second world war. At 8.15am on 6 August 1945, he was at primary school when he saw the flash of the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. Seven-year-old Miyake set out alone for the family house, 2.3km from the blast centre, searching among the heaped dead and dying for his mother.