Issey Miyake’s best celebrity fashion moments

His understated style and minimalistic lines made him a celebrity darling, and the late Japanese designer Issey Miyake leaves a long line of A-list fans mourning his death. 

It was announced yesterday that the fashion genius died on August 5 from liver cancer, aged 84, in Tokyo. 

After making it big in the 80s, Miyake became a red carpet staple, dressing everyone from Robin Williams to Grace Jones and creating defining looks everywhere from Silicon Valley to a Beyoncé music video. 

More recently, he was the quiet ‘King of Pleats’ behind some of Kim Kardashian looks, and dressed Doja Cat and Joni Mitchell. 

But perhaps the designer’s most famous piece of work is the elegant, understated black turtleneck he made for his friend, the late Steve Jobs, which became his signature look.

Here, FEMAIL takes a look back at the late designer’s best celebrity dressing moments. 

Steve Jobs, 1980s  

Issey Miyake can be credited with crafting the Silicon Valley uniform of the early 2000s. 

Few pictures, documentaries and bio-pics will portrait the former CEO of Apple, who died on 5 October 2011, without his trusted black turtleneck and his round-shaped specs. 

The Japanese designer, who first met the tech entrepreneur in the 1980s, initially intended to design an uniform to be worn by all the Apple employees. 

The idea was not popular, and Jobs asked his designer friend to come up with an uniform just for him. 

He often wore the sweater with a pair of rugged jeans, creating his own brand of office casual.  

After Jobs’ death, the turtleneck was retired from production by Issey himself.  

Grace Jones, 1983 

As she stepped out to attend the 25th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, one cold evening of February 1983, Grace Jones donned a very revealing outfit from Miyake that was sure to make red carpet history. 

The designer dressed the James Bond girl several times, often in provocative, cutting edge outfits that would turn heads. 

For her evening at the award show, the sculptural actress donned the see-through, wired bodice Miyake made for her with a matching sunhat. 

The bottom of her body was covered in a shimmery metallic pleated skirt, one of Miyake’s trademark styles, making her look seductive as well as avant-guard and feminine. 

The ensemble left very little to the imagination and revealed Jones’ breasts at a time where nudity in Hollywood had not lost its shock factor. 

Monica Bellucci, 1990 

While some designers might be happy to recycle their ideas rather than venturing into unknown territory, Miyake was never scared of being avant-garde.

In 1990, the Italian actress Monica Bellucci, Hollywood’s femme-fatale, donned a skin-tight catsuit from the designer. 

The form-hugging get up started at her foot and clung to her every curve to reach her neck. 

It was adorned with a square detail, reminiscent of a chess board. The suit combined Miyake’s understated influence with his fun approach to patterns and fabrics. 

Robin Williams, 1997 

The late Mrs Doubtfire actor was known for his unassuming fashion, and often preferred discreet looks rather than vibrant outfits for his outings. 

In 1997, however, he mixed things up with a jacket by Miyake which stood out thanks to its puffy pockets, lilac detail and modern cut. 

The 1990s marked a pivotal period for the designer, who had to meet the demands of the changing fashion world. 

With the turn of the millennium approaching, the designer managed to update his look to become more cutting edge, while staying true to his understated aesthetic. 

Some items from this period of the Japanese designer’s career are on show at the New York Met.

Mary-Kate Olsen, 2013

In 2013, Miyake showed he still deserved the nickname ‘King of Pleats’ when he dressed one half of the Olsen Twins. 

Mary-Kate Olsen opted for one of his designs to attend the 2013 CFDA Fashion Awards in New York City in June that year. 

The stand-out outfit was entirely made of black pleated material from head to toe and Miyake had gone for one of his signature deconstructed silhouette. 

The dress had a cold shoulder designe but long sleeves that covered the whole of Mary-Kate’s arms. 

While other frocks might risk looking shapeless the pleated fabric and the angular hemlines made it into a sculptural red carpet look.  

Beyoncé’s Mine video, 2014 

Miyake remained relevant throughout the decades thanks to his elegant, flowy designs. 

In 2014, he created ethereal costumes in earthy tones for Beyoncé’s Mine music video.

He dressed the singer in a white and grey bustier dress, and completed the look with a veil made with his trademark pleats. 

In the clip, a dancer dressed in flowy grey, white and brown capes could be seen leaping and twirling to the sound of the Lemonade vocal. 

The Miyake looks perfectly complemented the haunting lyrics of the anthem, making the project one of his most note-worthy recent collaborations. 

Meryl Streep,  2015

In 2015, the Japanese designer was endorsed by one of Hollywood’s brightest stars when Meryl Streep wore one of his creations to the London premiere of Into the Woods. 

She sported an elegant bronze pleated jacket over a matching pleated, which flowed down her body in an asymmetrical waterfall. 

The actress paired it with black slacks and black heels, keeping the attention on her grand top. 

The oversized sleeves retained enough structure to keep the look modern and not frumpy. 

Andra Day, 2017

Throughout his career, Miyake banked on red carpet talent to promote his work. 

In 2017, the singer Andra Day wore one of his design to the 48th NAACP Image Awards in Passadena. 

The look stood out, thanks to its striped blue and white pattern that spread through the loose fit trousers and the oversized top. 

A large blue belt tied the top and bottom together, and Day added a pop of pink with her heels.  

While it offered a modern silhouette, the look was quintessentially Miyake, and proved the designer had retained his appeal with a younger generation of stars. 

Kim Kardashian, 2020  

The designer dressed TV royalty Kim Kardashian several times throughout his career. 

Twice in 2020 she sported form-hugging looks by Miyake. 

She donned a shimmery pleated turtleneck carved into a golden metallic hue to attend a NBC Universal promo event for her Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project documentary in January of that year. 

She paired the eye-catching top with a black leather skirt.  

Later that same year, she shared a picture from her walk-in wardrobe where she donned a cheeky see-through grey top from the designer with a shimmery grey skirt tied at the waist with a bow. 

On another occasion, she also opted to wear a neon yellow turtleneck sweater from Miyake, proving her endorsement of the brand went beyond the red carpet.   

Joni Mitchell, 2022 

Joni Mitchell was one of the last celebrities to wear a Miyake original on the red carpet before his death. 

To attend the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in Las Vegas, the singer donned a floral shirt under a pleated white jacket from the designer. 

The timeless cover up suited her red necklace and the red beret she had put on for the occasion. 

This red carpet appearance took place only four months bfore Miyake passed away from liver cancer.