Vintage issey miyake "bomber" jacket... rare or wear?

Hello - I'm a bit of a "perpetual newbie" to the designer fashion world, but recently realized I have a jacket I bought on a whim 10 years ago that might need to be better appreciated and taken care of. So I want to ask what anyone might know about this Issey Miyake Men jacket... its age/vintage, its style name, etc.; and any idea about its rarity and/or value. I'm not really wanting to sell it, but want to know if wearing it frequently, in variable NW weather is a okay, or whether I should pamper it a bit more (bring it out only on nice clear evenings...), or keep it safe as a "collectible". Thanks for any advice you all might have...

Here's a bit of back story, such as it helps...

I was in London with my family in 2007 when one of the terror attacks in Britain closed Heathrow, as we were passing through on a short layover. We (and 10,000 of our "closest friends"...) ended up stranded in the airport for 4 hours. We all were then unceremoniously kicked off our flights, and sent out into the wilds of London (with none of our baggage!), in summer high-season, with no chance to get out on another flight for at least 4 days. Once we (barely) found a place to stay that night, and following 3, we realized we had no clothes but what we were wearing. So, off to the second-hand shops in the West End early the next morning...

There, in addition to a couple of nice pair of jeans, some button downs, and a pair of street boots, I decided I needed some kind of warm jacket, as I had nothing like that on the plane with me (we were returning to Arizona, mid-summer, for heaven's sake!). I saw this interesting faded-olive, "quilted" fabric jacket, for a reasonable price (for a "make-do" jacket). It was a bit baggy, but we were in a hurry so bought it with barely a glance as to defects. It was warm and comfortable on foggy London evenings, for the ultimately 5 days we had to wait to get back to the US.

Once home I decided to look at it a bit more, and noticed a tag saying "issey miyake men", and remembered I'd heard the name before... But then filed it away in the "check on later", as I didn't find much need to wear it once we were back in the desert Southwest. Well, it's ten years later, and I now live in a cooler, wetter climate, and am finding the jacket perfect for the London-like weather. But it occurred to me to finally look up the designer name again, and see if I could find out more about the jacket....

Now I realize the prominence of Issey Miyake's design work, and my search into this particular jacket has been hit-and-miss... Best I can tell is that it is an "early" Issey Miyake Men series jacket (late 70's, early 80's??) based on the label(s), and the overall condition. But, as the label in the collar is too faded to read, I haven't been able to determine what "style" (model?) it is, nor even what its fabric makeup is (though I can read a enough to see that it has rayon and cotton in it). The jacket is in great shape, if indeed it is nearly 40 years old... the liner is silky and soft and supple, though with unique stripe pattern, and all intact and sturdy and undamaged. The outer shell is a crepe-looking sturdy fabric that is unmarred, except for small wear nicks at the top of the collar. The only thing seems to be a bit of uneven fading in the olive color (I've kept it stored out of the sun, but maybe not previous owners), though it's hard to tell if that's the intended coloration, as it has a bit of "military" about it. All its oversized buttons, on woven fabric "loops" are present and it buttons well, though with no zipper, the wind does get in on blustery days.
It has interesting pockets inside and out, especially one high on the left shoulder (almost certainly pre-cell-phone era?). A great jacket all-around.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, in knowing how best I should appreciate this wonderful, comfy, stylin' jacket...

Best to everyone for the holidays,
Tom





Shoulder pocket


Cuff and typical buttons


Striped liner?




Waist adjustment buttons, showing a bit of wear.


Wear at the collar, and a bit of the neck tag (badly faded)


Interior right breast pocket, and IMM label


Closeup of crepe-like fabric texture, and some of fading of color


Closeup of inside-right pocket and lable


Closeup of inside left breast pocket


Typical outside pocket


Closeup of outside pocket's zipper





Closeup of typical closure button

Hi Tom,

That Issey Miyake label is an old one and is becoming a rarity, from the early 80s, an era where he used mostly natural fibers and not the experimental synthetic ones they're known for today. Early Issey Miyake works are quite sought after, especially ones that showcase his signature oversized silhouettes which this jacket seems to have. Keep the jacket, take care of it. It doesn't need to be mollycoddled but certainly not to be exposed to harsh weather conditions.

Wow... Thanks for the informative reply. I really like this jacket, as it's comfortable, warm, but also stylish in an understated way (my preference...). Thanks again!