English

Renowned fashion designer Issey Miyake passed away on August 5th due to illness. He was 84 years old.

Explanation

「デザイナー(dezainaa)」 comes from the English word “designer.” When we want to specify what kind of designer, we add a modifier. For example, 「服のデザイナー(fuku no dezainaa)」 means “a designer of clothes.” 「家具のデザイナー(kagu no dezainaa)」 means “a designer of furniture.” If our modifier is a katakana loanword, we can omit the particle 「の」. So we say 「グラフィックデザイナー(gurafuikku-dezainaa)」 or 「ファッションデザイナー(fuasshon-dezainaa)」.
In Japanese we also use word 「デザイン(dezain)」 as a noun. And by adding 「する(suru)」, we get the verb 「デザインする(dezain-suru)」. So 「服をデザインする(fuku o dezain-suru)」 means “design clothes.”
「なくなる(nakunaru)」 means “pass away.” It’s a word we use when we want to avoid the more blunt expression 「死ぬ(shinu)」, which means “die.” In conversation, when we’re talking about the death of someone other than a family member, we use the polite forms of 「亡くなった(nakunatta)」, which are 「お亡くなりになった(onakunari ni natta)」 and 「亡くなられた(nakunarareta)」.　The original meaning of the verb 「なくなる」 is “to no longer be in possession of something you had earlier.” So for example, 「財布がなくなる(saifu ga nakunaru)」 means “lose one’s wallet.” 「痛みがなくなる(itami ga nakunaru)」 means “feel relief from pain,” or in other words, “be pain free.” One important thing to remember is tahat a different kanji is used for 「なくなる」 depending on whether the intended meaning is “losing something” or “death.”
In news reports and other instances that call for an objective tone, the expression 「死亡した(shiboo-shita)」 is frequently used when reporting someone’s death.

English

Miyake was born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1938. He founded a design company in Tokyo in 1970 and presented collections in France and the United States.

English

Miyake’s clothes have become famous across the world for combining traditional Japanese beauty with new materials.

English

Miyake was known for designs where garments are intricately folded out of a single piece of cloth.

Explanation

The phrase 「布を細かく折ったデザイン（nuno o komakaku otta dezain）」 means “a design that is intricately folded out of cloth.” 「折る（oru）」 means “to fold.” Issey Miyake is famous for origami-like pleated garments that are lightweight and stretchable. 「布（nuno）」 refers to fabric or cloth that is made by weaving together threads of materials such as cotton, silk, and linen.

English

People around the world have said that Miyake elevated fashion into an art form.

English

In 2010, Miyake received an order of merit that is awarded to those who have made significant contributions to Japanese culture. In 2016, he received a famous French order of merit.