ISSEY Miyake has always been a man full of ideas and contradictions. Born from these clashing concepts are clothes so clever, extreme and extraordinary that you would have to see them to believe them.

Miyake was born Miyake Kazumaru in 1938 in Hiroshima, Japan. Miyake was seven years old when he witnessed the atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima, and grew up surrounded by poverty. Miyake dreamed the same dream that many Japanese citizens did; to go to America and build a life in a country so full of promise and hope. He grew up reading his sister's fashion magazines, such as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, and found himself inspired by the images before him, which lead him all the way to the Tama Art University in Tokyo where he studied graphics. From here he went to Paris, where he found himself surrounded by contradictions. On one side there was the exclusive haute couture that only the rich could afford to be part of, and on the other side stood the rebelling youth that longed for progress and expression. Miyake found that he couldn't be part of either; so he chose to be himself.

From there a long road began, leading him to study with the top fashion names, such as Guy Laroche and Givenchy. Yet, instead of completely forgetting where he came from, Miyake incorporated Japan's deep-rooted traditions into his designs. Miyake aimed to create clothes that were neither Western nor Japanese, but a stylish combination of the two. He strove to keep his designs distinct and individual, never allowing them to blend with the trendy Parisian crowds. One particular design captures both the quiet modesty of the Japanese but also the warrior spirit. This is all seen in a red and black Pewlon garment, that at first sight is a gorgeously fitting dress that covers every inch of the body, leaving only the face and hands on show. This then billows out into an all-consuming cloak. Miyake designs clothes that fit around life; jackets can become shirts when necessary and a modest gown can become a slinky, sensual dress on demand. His clothes are all made to be feather-light. They should look a million dollars yet be treated as casually as old tracksuit bottoms. They can be hung carefully in wardrobes or bundled carelessly into a handbag and still not be ruined. Miyake wanted to put as much freedom into the wearing of his clothes as he put into the creative process.

Issey Miyake is a very successful man. His world-known 'Pleats Please' collection, first shown in 1989, sold 680,000 outfits between 1993 and '97. His experimentation with methods of pleating lead him to find new ways of allowing flexibility of movement for the wearer as well as ease of producing the clothes. Miyake is constantly researching new elements of life and nature that he can weave into his creations. He combines ferocity and sensuality, freedom and elegance, and more recently, the old with the new. In 2010 he made a whole clothes line out of recycled products. This begs the question: is there anything this man can't do?