Irving Penn was commissioned to photograph Issey Miyake's clothes for an editorial feature in US Vogue in 1983. The Japanese designer was so blown away by the resulting images, claiming to suddenly see his designs with fresh eyes, that he approached Penn to photograph his next collection. This marked the beginning of a collaboration that would continue for 13 years, one that is currently being celebrated with a new exhibition at Tokyo museum 21_21 Design Sight entitled Irving Penn and Issey Miyake: Visual Dialogue.
From 1987 to 1999, Penn photographed all of Issey Miyake's biennial Paris collections, resulting in more than 250 photographs, many of which appear in the exhibition, accompanied by Penn's preliminary sketches, a short film by Pascal Roulin, drawings by Michael Crawford detailing the process behind the Penn and Miyake creations, and posters by Ikko Tanaka.
The relationship between the two men was characterised by a strong mutual admiration but also a curious distance. Miyake never attended the photo sessions and Penn never went to one of Miyake's fashion shows. They never even discussed what they were trying to achieve, which is just the way Miyake wanted it. For him, the point of the collaboration was inspiration - and to be surprised.
As Miyake later commented: 'I was looking for the one person who could look at my clothing, hear my voice, and answer me back through his own creation. I searched long for such a person and found in Penn-san.'
The exhibition, which features both the individual and collaborative work of the two artists, runs until 8 April, 2012.
Issey Miyake collection poster, A/W 1991
poster design and typography by Ikko Tanaka
Courtesy of The Irving Penn Foundation
’12 Apples’, New York, 1985,
Courtesy of the Irving Penn Foundation
Issey Miyake Seaweed Dress, New York, 1987
Courtesy of the Irving Penn Foundation
Issey Miyake collection poster, A/W 1989 poster design and typography by Ikko Tanaka
Courtesy of The Irving Penn Foundation
Issey Miyake collection poster, S/S 1994, poster design and typography by Ikko Tanaka
Courtesy of The Irving Penn Foundation
Issey Miyake Staircase Dress, New York 1994
Courtesy of the Irving Penn Foundation
'Vegetable Face', New York, 1995,
Courtesy of the Irving Penn Foundation
A sketch by Michael Crawford, on show in the section of the exhibition at 21_21 Design Sight dedicated to the process behind the fashion shoots and collections
ADDRESS
21_21 Design Sight
Tokyo Midtown Garden
9-7-6 Akasaka Minato-ku
Tokyo
-
In 2025, fashion retail had a renaissance. Here’s our favourite store designs of the year2025 was the year that fashion stores ceased to be just about fashion. Through a series of meticulously designed – and innovative – boutiques, brands invited customers to immerse themselves in their aesthetic worlds. Here are some of the best
-
The Wallpaper* team’s travel highlights of the yearA year of travel distilled. Discover the destinations that inspired our editors on and off assignment
-
The architecture of Mexico's RA! draws on cinematic qualities and emotionRA! was founded by Cristóbal Ramírez de Aguilar, Pedro Ramírez de Aguilar and Santiago Sierra, as a multifaceted architecture practice in Mexico City, mixing a cross-disciplinary approach and a constant exchange of ideas
