There are tons of good reasons to visit Japan and this is definitely one of them! From 16 September on, 21_21 Design Sight will present an exhibition about the collaboration between two of the most legendary people in fashion image making; fashion designer Issey Miyake and photographer Irving Penn. The sizzling synergy of this fashion duo was highlighted before in print, but in the exhibition ‘Irving Penn and Issey Miyake: Visual Dialogue’ moving images, original drawings and collection posters will be added to the mix, all presented collectively for the first time.

written by Esther Muñoz Grootveld

Issey Miyake’s first encounter with Irving Penn was in 1983. On assignment for American Vogue, Penn photographed Miyake’s clothing for an editorial feature. The photographs startled Miyake as he suddenly saw his designs through a totally new set of eyes. And this was exactly what Miyake needed: “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. […] Through his eyes Penn-san reinterprets the clothes, gives them new breath, and presents them to me from a new vantage point — one that I may not have been aware of, but had been subconsciously trying to capture. Without Penn-san’s guidance, I probably could not have continued to find new themes with which to challenge myself, nor could I have arrived at new solutions.”
(From Irving Penn: A Career in Photography, 1997)

This ‘love at first sight’ situation turned into a long-term relationship. Over the next thirteen years Penn photographed Miyake’s collections, resulting in a breathtaking visual oeuvre. Through the years, there was not much actual dialogue between the two geniuses, as Miyake never attended the photo sessions. He chose to entrust the presentation his clothes photographically entirely to Penn. The unusual decision to offer Penn complete freedom gave rise to an incredible visual dialogue between the artists. Miyake, frequently experimenting with new fabrics and silhouettes – inspired Penn: “Issey Miyake makes body covering that need the wearer to bring his designs into full existence. […] His roots go deep in his culture. There are overtones of warriors, mythology and folk mysteries. His designs are not fashionable, but women of style are enriched by them and are made more beautiful by them.” (From Issey Miyake: Photographs By Irving Penn, 1988)

 

The exhibition at 21_21 Design Sight features both the individual and collaborative work of Irving Penn and Issey Miyake. In addition to large-scale projections of collection photographs by Penn, an animated film by Pascal Roulin with original drawings by Michael Crawford, and Issey Miyake collection posters will be exhibited. Original photographic prints made by Penn will also be on display, as well as his preliminary drawings for photographing Miyake’s designs. Director of the exhibition is Midori Kitamura, Miyake’s trusted colleague, who can be seen as the intermediate between Miyake and Penn: ‘Twice a year Issey Miyake and I would select clothing for me to take to New York to be photographed by Mr. Penn. My trips to New York for Penn’s sittings were joyous occasions. (…) Mr. Penn was always anxious to see the clothing I brought from Japan, and he listened to my descriptions intently. It was from these items that he made his selections and came up with poses, facial expressions, face, hair, and all of the other necessary elements to create a single continuous “story” line for each photo session. (…) Miyake would inevitably be surprised and moved by the photos I brought back to him from New York, and the perspectives they mirrored would, in some way or another, provide inspiration for the subsequent collection.’

Esther Muñoz Grootveld is strategic consultant in design and fashion and will be living in East-Asia for the next year.

Irving Penn and Issey Miyake: Visual Dialogue
September 16, 2011 – April 8, 2012
21_21 Design Sight
Tokyo, Japan.