Issey Miyake’s Genius Transcended Fashion Into Beauty

As the world mourns the passing of legendary designer Issey Miyake, ELLE UK looks to his impact, not only on the history of fashion, but on his boundary-breaking work within the realm of beauty as well. A realm where painterly eyeshadow was blown on with a straw, tie-dye beehives were spray painted and 3D cellophane highlighter was the norm. Otherworldly, ethereal, experimental and totally modern, the beauty looks that walked Miyake's runways changed a generation's very notion of what hair and make-up could be.

'The magic of Issey Miyake shows was that you felt like you were entering a different world,'says make-up artist and Issey Miyake backstage regular, Claire Mulleady. 'You could never imagine what kind of make-up you would be doing when you arrived. As a make-up artist it was exciting to be doing something new and so inspiring. There was a freedom for the beauty to be something more than "nice make-up".'

Mulleady notes Miyake's SS16 show as an iconic beauty moment for the designer. 'The energy backstage was frenzied. I worked with [MUA] Alex Box on the look and there was so much playing with colours and mixing pigments. She used a straw to blow and move liquid pigments on models' temples. Because of the nature of the application the make-up had to be done with the model lying on the floor backstage. Of course photographers and everyone else wanted to get a shot of the unusual activity. It really felt like we were a part of something.'

Below, ELLE UK journeys through the archives with an edit of Issey Miyake's most notable hair and make-up looks that changed the landscape of beauty...