A launch exhibition for the book "Where Did Issey Come From? The Person and Work of Miyake Issey" (published by HeHe) is being held at Morioka Shoten in Ginza, Tokyo, until July 1st.

"Where Did Issey Come From? The Person and Work of Miyake Issey" was published at the end of last year as a new reading material, adding a newly written ninth chapter to the eight chapters of essays by Kazuko Koike included in "Issey Miyake: The Complete Work," a large-format book that can be considered a "collection" of Miyake Issey's work, published by German publisher TASCHEN in 2016.

This launch exhibition displays 15 invitations (11 types, some with different designs on the front and back) from the Issey Miyake Paris Collection designed by renowned Japanese artist Tadanori Yokoo, which are also included in the book. (In the case of invitations with different designs on the front and back, two panels are used, one above the other.) Visitors can experience the exquisite graphics, paper texture, meticulous attention to printing technology, and overwhelming beauty of these extremely precious invitations, which are sent exclusively to those involved. They can also sense the changes in Yokoo's style over the years, from his first invitation in 1977 to the invitation from 1999, which made full use of digital technology. Author Koike, who visited the venue, said, "The invitation, which was born when Miyake Issey, then a young designer, met Yokoo, who was also a young artist, was like a game of catch with a contemporary sensibility, and is a very valuable piece that expresses the sensibility of the same era. I wanted to share this with as many people as possible."