Issey Miyake

The concept of Issey Miyake's Pleats Please line is simple: timeless, wearable garments that require minimal care and maintence. As the name of the line suggests, the distinguishing feature of the Pleats Please line are the pleats. Unlike most pleated garments, wherein the pleats are created as part of the construction process, Miyake's pleats are created in a process separate from the joining of seams. Garment pieces are cut 2 1/2 to 3 times the desired size and then sewn together. The oversize garment is then placed between two sheets of paper and run through a heat-set pleating machine. Because Pleats Please garments are constructed from a polyester textile, the resulting mushroom pleats are permanent, holding their shape even through the wash cycle. When the line was introduced in 1993, Miyake noted its hearty character, calling it " 'anti-static, perspiration-absorbent, anti-stain and fast-drying.' "¹