Dezeen Magazine

Francis Giacobetti photographs leaping dancers wearing Issey Miyake's pleated garments

These images by French photographer Francis Giacobetti of dancers wearing pleated Issey Miyake garments are on show at the Daikanyama T-site venue in Tokyo.

Prism by Francis Giacobetti at Pleats Please by Issey Miyake
Please Please Issey Miyake, 2015. Main image: Zebra 17, Photograph, print 2012

Giacobetti, who has worked on fashion shoots for publications including Vogue since the 1960s, was commissioned by Japanese fashion house Issey Miyake to photograph the Pleats Please campaigns between 1999 and 2001. He was then brought back to capture images for the collections from 2012 onwards.

Prism by Francis Giacobetti at Pleats Please by Issey Miyake
Pleats Please Issey Miyake, Spring Summer 2013

Organised by the brand, the Prism exhibition displays prints of Giacobetti's fashion photographs within a gallery space at the Klein Dytham-designed cultural centre.

Prism by Francis Giacobetti at Pleats Please by Issey Miyake
Pleats Please Issey Miyake, Spring Summer 2000

In the shots, the pleated garments are worn by dancers posed in extreme positions – jumping with outstretched legs or balancing on one pointed toe.

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Pleats Please Issey Miyake, Spring Summer 2000

"With dancers as his models, he was able to capture the changing expressions of Pleats Please with each dancer's movement," reads the Pleats Please book published by Taschen, in which many of the photos are collected. "This work culminated in a striking series that showcased Pleats Please's radiant palette and prints."

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Study for Guest Artist Series No.3

Photographed against a white background, Giacobetti has exaggerated the contrast between the models' skin to create silhouetted shapes that help to highlight the garments.

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Study for The White Dream

The images for the exhibition show clothes from various seasons, including loose striped and gridded pieces from Spring Summer 2013 and a billowing skirt from Spring Summer 2000.

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Pleats Please Issey Miyake, Autumn Winter 2015

The Pleats Please womenswear range was first introduced in 1989. Issey Miyake launched it as a separate brand in 1993, and new collections are still produced each season.

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Pleats Please Issey Miyake, Autumn Winter 2013

"This is a line that is positioned to embody one of the most fundamental concepts of Issey Miyake – where the true value of design lies in its integration into the everyday life and comfort of the wearer," said the brand's website.

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Pleats Please Issey Miyake, Autumn Winter 1999

"This is clearly demonstrated in the development and evolution of traditional techniques of processing and of pleating material into a highly functional modern product – light in weight and easy to wear and handle."

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Study of a dancer

Prism runs from 12 to 21 June 2015 at the Daikanyama T-site's Garden Gallery in the Shibuya-ku district of Tokyo.


Project credits:

Motion graphics: tha Itd./Yugo Nakamura
Space and technical Coordination: LUFTZUG
Graphic design: Taku Satoh Design Office
Projector support: Canon, Canon Marketing Japan