Tokujin Yoshioka joined the Miyake Design Studio in1988, the year we started experimenting with pleats.At that time I was waging an inner struggle. Ever since the shock of the May Revolutions of 1968 in Paris, I had resolved to find a solution to clothing that would respond to the needs of people's daily lives: clothing for the many,rather than the few. However, I felt somewhat lost, buried in the deep forest that is the closed system of couture, with its long history and traditions. Sol made a big decision-to take a leap forward with a new team. I consulted my friend, the late furniture designer Shiro Kuramata, since I was looking for someone whose viewpoint would come from outside the field of fashion. He introduced me to Yoshioka-kun, who had recently joined his off:ice,and was generous enough to suggest that he joined us.