Born in Hiroshima, Miyake suffered from osteomyelitis at the age of 10, and the disease recurred shortly in his adulthood. He studied graphic design at Tama Art University in Tokyo from 1959 to 1964. After graduation, he worked in Paris for Guy Laroche and Givenchy until 1968. He then worked for Geoffrey Beene in New York City in 1969. Two years later, he founded the Miyake Design Studio and Issey Miyake Inc. His US flagship store, which carries all seven of his collections, including Issey Miyake Women's, Issey Miyake Mens, Fete, Pleats Please, APOC, Issey Miyake Me and HaaT, is located in Tribeca, New York, and was designed by architect Frank Gehry.