Renowned for its futuristic design process and aesthetic, Issey Miyake has bought a touch of 19th century splendour to the brand’s first Italian flagship store. The new 500 sq m space is located inside Palazzo Reina, the first historic building to be used in the Japanese label’s retail history with Miyake himself enlisting artist/designer and longtime collaborator Tokujin Yoshioka to conceive the shop’s interior.
Yoshioka, who worked under Miyake before founding his own eponymous design company in 2000, is the mastermind behind many of its retail spaces, including its Brook Street flagship in London; its Aomaya Reality Lab in Tokyo; and its recently opened Muensterhof space in Zurich. The designer also created a metal-strap watch for the label in 2015, and devised acrylic and cardboard mannequins for the ‘The Work of Issey Miyake’ retrospective at Tokyo’s National Art Centre in 2016.
Issey Miyake’s first Italian boutique is housed inside the Palazzo Reina in Milan
Miyake’s Brook Street location contrasts raw concrete walls against colourful anodised aluminium, so it’s only fitting that for the brand’s Via Bagutta location in Milan, Yoshioka continues this exploration of juxtapositions. Blue, orange and green aluminium panels and silver metal rails feature alongside grainy frescoes uncovered during the restoration of Palazzo Reina. Working in aesthetic opposition, the two finishes also act as symbols of the passage of time, representing both Italian classicism and Japanese futurism.
The time-worn hues of the ceiling and the earthy terrazzo floor also form a striking counterpoint to the the rails of rainbow-hued Pleats Please pieces, housed alongside other innovative lines including Homme Plissé Issey Miyake, Bao Bao Issey Miyake and 132 5 Issey Miyake. The brand is famed for its invention of revolutionary techniques including the creation of uncreasable pleated polyester garments using a heating machine and A-POC (A Piece of Cloth), the creation of clothing from a digitally programmed single knitted tube. Now, with its first steps in Milan, Issey Miyake has marked its Italian future with a celebratory nod to the city’s architectural past.
The boutique is housed within the Palazzo Reina
Futuristic and classic design references act as symbols of the passage of time
Information
For more information, visit the Issey Miyake website
Address
Via Bagutta, 12
20121 Milan
-
Ruark Audio and Revo give the CD player revival a fresh spinRuark Audio’s new R-CD100 and the Revo SuperCD are joined by two more quirky devices to revive those classic discs
-
The new Ford Capri wants to tap a vein of Gen X nostalgia. Does it succeed?We ask if the all-electric Ford Capri can capture the swagger of its much-loved but rather oafish predecessor
-
Rug designer Sibylle de Tavernost’s homage to Fernand LégerAbstract modern art, craft heritage and contemporary life fuse in Sibylle de Tavernost's new limited-edition rugs
-
The Wallpaper* S/S 2025 trend report: ‘A rejection of the derivative and the expected’Wallpaper* fashion features editor Jack Moss unpacks five trends and takeaways from the S/S 2025 shows, which paid ode to individual style and transformed the everyday
-
Le Sel d’Issey: the sacred ‘energy of salt’ inspires Issey Miyake’s new fragrance for menAs Issey Miyake’s Le Sel d’Issey launched in Tokyo this week, we spoke with Tokujin Yoshioka about his ‘radiant’ bottle design and the scent's sacred and salty inspiration
-
The A/W 2024 menswear collections were defined by a ‘new flamboyance’Sleek and streamlined ensembles imbued with a sense of performance take centre stage in ‘Quiet on Set’, a portfolio of the A/W 2024 menswear collections photographed by Matthieu Delbreuve
-
In fashion: the defining looks and trends of the A/W 2024 collectionsWe highlight the standout moments of the A/W 2024 season, from scrunched-up gloves and seductive leather ties to cocooning balaclavas and decadent feathers
-
Revisiting the showstopping runway sets of men’s fashion weekAs Men’s Fashion Week S/S 2025 draws to a close, Wallpaper* picks the season’s most transporting runway sets, from giant cats at Dior Men to a ‘fairytale ravescape’ at Prada
-
‘Sensuous physicality’: Issey Miyake reveals barefoot sneaker collaboration with New BalanceThe Issey Miyake x New Balance MT10O is based on minimalist running sneakers from the 2010s, designed to replicate the feeling of running barefoot
-
’Issey Miyake: 1960 to 2022’ is a definitive guide to the pioneering Japanese designer’Issey Miyake: 1960 to 2022’ is a new Taschen book that provides a comprehensive overview of the pioneering Japanese designer’s ’poetic but pragmatic’ work
-
Issey Miyake’s radiant new Paris store celebrates its deep-rooted links to the cityIssey Miyake’s new flagship store on Paris’ Rue François is designed by Tokujin Yoshioka, featuring a luminous orange wall designed to evoke the rising sun
