Pleats Please is the ultimate "IYKYK" label

Here's a fashion riddle: Name a brand that's as desirable to a Gen Z fashion lover as it is to a 70-year-old retiree. Pleats Please Issey Miyake, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this month, has become just that: an amorphous, intricately pleated and colorful clothing line that offers cross-generational appeal for creative types young and old.

The story behind the brand's instantly recognizable pleats began in the late 80s. Miyake found what appeared to be a simple scarf folded in the workshop. In fact, it was an experiment: the studio's longtime textile director, Makiko Minagawa, in search of new materials, had heat pleated the fabric. Its intricate three-dimensional texture captivated Miyake and led to four years of research, culminating in the brand's signature technique: polyester fabric is cut and sewn to three times its intended size, then heat pleated, resulting in garments that retain their shape, even tossed in a washing machine or crushed in a suitcase. The wrinkle-resistant, travel-friendly pieces were originally tested on dancers from the Frankfurt Ballet Company, and Miyake found the fluidity of the styles complemented their movement perfectly. In 1993, the brand was officially launched, its name deriving from the fact that the designer liked the words "pleasant folds".

Grace Jones in 1990.

For years Pleats Please was a label for those who considered themselves in the know and tended to be of a certain age. Fashion critic Suzy Menkes wore the pieces front row, while architect Zaha Hadid was a lifelong fan. The label was elegant, but never fashionable, until recently. "Issey was considered one of the elite brands that only true fashion connoisseurs wore, but thanks to the internet and the inquisitive nature of Gen Z, it's become a closet mainstay," says Johnny Valencia , owner of Pechuga Vintage, a favorite among Hollywood stylists. seek to dress their young clients in archival fashion.

Spring 1995 looks.

You can also attribute the generational change in part to Solange Knowles, who wore the brand while promoting her 2016 album A Seat at the Table. So that...