---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of my assistants found this old…"
description: "\"One of my assistants found this old German machine. It was originally used to make underwear. Like Chanel, who started with underwear fabric - jerseys ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29c/issey-miyake-14412_assistants_one-of-my-assistants-found-this-old-germ_405681.jpg"
---

#  One of my assistants found this old German machine. It was…

![“One of my assistants found this old German machine. It was originally used to make underwear. Like Chanel, who started with underwear fabric - jerseys - we used the machine that made underwear to make something else” quote by Issey Miyake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29c/issey-miyake-14412_assistants_one-of-my-assistants-found-this-old-germ_405681.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29c/issey-miyake-14412_assistants_one-of-my-assistants-found-this-old-germ_405681.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29c/issey-miyake-14412_assistants_one-of-my-assistants-found-this-old-germ_405681.jpg)

> “One of my assistants found this old German machine. It was originally used to make underwear. Like Chanel, who started with underwear fabric - jerseys - we used the machine that made underwear to make something else”

[Issey Miyake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issey-miyake/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Repurposing existing tools can spark innovation in new product categories.

**In simple terms:** Reuse old equipment for fresh ideas.

Key Takeaway

Look for unexpected applications of current assets.

Themes

innovation reuse fashion

Mood

creative optimistic

Type

inspirational practical

When to use this quote

- product development
- sustainable fashion
- entrepreneurship

Key Concepts

design thinking resourcefulness

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you identify hidden potential in everyday tools?
- What barriers might you face when shifting a product’s purpose?

A Different Perspective

Risk of market resistance if new use is not clearly communicated.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Machines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machines/)

## Related quotes

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> [Remember, this is back in the '40s, and the idea of a museum being a place where interested people could come in direct contact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/remember-this-is-back-in-the-40s-and-the-idea-of-a-museum-being-a/)

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[Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/)

> [Hollywood is a whole other level of crazy. I've never met so many assistants who have assistants. It's a stratified society on its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kwan/hollywood-is-a-whole-other-level-of-crazy-i-ve-never-met-so-many/)

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> [Everyone believed the Senate could not really be led. It used to take so long to rise up through seniority. In two years Lyndon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/everyone-believed-the-senate-could-not-really-be-led-it-used-to-take/)

[Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/)

> [ Well, that would be a title \[the busiest guy in Hollywood\] still reserved for Ryan Seacrest. I have one assistant; he has about nine.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-mchale/well-that-would-be-a-title-the-busiest-guy-in-hollywood-still/)

[Joel McHale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-mchale/)

> [To this day, I've never had an assistant. I really insist on doing everything myself because I value the role of the artist's hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-robleto/to-this-day-i-ve-never-had-an-assistant-i-really-insist-on-doing/)

[Dario Robleto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-robleto/)

> [My dad's a prominent theatre director in Toronto, so I grew up in that world, directing and producing theater since I was a teenager.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gass-donnelly/my-dad-s-a-prominent-theatre-director-in-toronto-so-i-grew-up-in-that/)

[Ed Gass-Donnelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gass-donnelly/)

> [Since, however, it is immaterial whether the work is done by assistants or a machine, I decided to build a machine equivalent to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/since-however-it-is-immaterial-whether-the-work-is-done-by-assistants/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I must have assistants who will solve their own problems and tell me later what they've done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-marshall/i-must-have-assistants-who-will-solve-their-own-problems-and-tell-me/)

[George C. Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-marshall/)

## More by Issey Miyake

> [The purpose - where I start - is the idea of use. It is not recycling, it's reuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issey-miyake/the-purpose-where-i-start-is-the-idea-of-use-it-is-not-recycling-it-s/)

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> [I am not really interested in clothing as a conceptual art form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issey-miyake/i-am-not-really-interested-in-clothing-as-a-conceptual-art-form/)

[Issey Miyake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issey-miyake/)

> [A great thing happening now in art is that artists are using the figure, the body, clothing, life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issey-miyake/a-great-thing-happening-now-in-art-is-that-artists-are-using-the/)

[Issey Miyake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issey-miyake/)

> [Clothes should fit comfortably - not too tightly - so that you have space to move in and think freely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issey-miyake/clothes-should-fit-comfortably-not-too-tightly-so-that-you-have-space/)

[Issey Miyake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issey-miyake/)

> [From the beginning I thought about working with the body in movement, the space between the body and clothes. I wanted the clothes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issey-miyake/from-the-beginning-i-thought-about-working-with-the-body-in-movement/)

[Issey Miyake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issey-miyake/)

> [I have always been interested in conducting research that yielded new methods by which to make cloth, and in developing new materials that combine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issey-miyake/i-have-always-been-interested-in-conducting-research-that-yielded-new/)

[Issey Miyake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issey-miyake/)

> [By the way, Marilyn Monroe was a size 14.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issey-miyake/by-the-way-marilyn-monroe-was-a-size-14/)

[Issey Miyake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issey-miyake/)

> [If you look back throughout history from the ancient Egyptians onwards, most cultures started making clothing from a very basic premise: a single piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issey-miyake/if-you-look-back-throughout-history-from-the-ancient-egyptians/)

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> [I was always interested in making clothing that is worn by people in the real world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issey-miyake/i-was-always-interested-in-making-clothing-that-is-worn-by-people-in/)

[Issey Miyake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issey-miyake/)

> [Well, what I'm doing is really clothing. I'm not doing sculpture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issey-miyake/well-what-i-m-doing-is-really-clothing-i-m-not-doing-sculpture/)

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> [Most of us feel some kind of uncertainty, with the population increasing and resources decreasing. We have to face these issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issey-miyake/most-of-us-feel-some-kind-of-uncertainty-with-the-population/)

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> [The core spirit of Pleats Please is joy, and what better emotion to wear on your skin every day?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issey-miyake/the-core-spirit-of-pleats-please-is-joy-and-what-better-emotion-to/)

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> [I never thought fashion was the job for me, because I'm Japanese. Clothes! That was a European, society thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issey-miyake/i-never-thought-fashion-was-the-job-for-me-because-i-m-japanese/)

[Issey Miyake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issey-miyake/)

[Explore all 46 Issey Miyake quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issey-miyake/)

## More Assistants quotes

> [I'm a good assistant. That's why I don't have an assistant, because I'm so on it that no one can be as on it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-dunst/i-m-a-good-assistant-that-s-why-i-don-t-have-an-assistant-because-i-m/)

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> [Since, however, it is immaterial whether the work is done by assistants or a machine, I decided to build a machine equivalent to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/since-however-it-is-immaterial-whether-the-work-is-done-by-assistants/)

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> [My dad's a prominent theatre director in Toronto, so I grew up in that world, directing and producing theater since I was a teenager.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gass-donnelly/my-dad-s-a-prominent-theatre-director-in-toronto-so-i-grew-up-in-that/)

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> [Hollywood is a whole other level of crazy. I've never met so many assistants who have assistants. It's a stratified society on its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kwan/hollywood-is-a-whole-other-level-of-crazy-i-ve-never-met-so-many/)

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[Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/)

> [Remember, this is back in the '40s, and the idea of a museum being a place where interested people could come in direct contact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/remember-this-is-back-in-the-40s-and-the-idea-of-a-museum-being-a/)

[Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/)

> [The mind reels at the multiplication of books intended to justify the author's promotion from assistant to associate professor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/the-mind-reels-at-the-multiplication-of-books-intended-to-justify-the/)

[C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/)

> [I was in Japan, and my assistant director had worked with Kurosawa. I used quite of number of Kurosawa's crew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boorman/i-was-in-japan-and-my-assistant-director-had-worked-with-kurosawa-i/)

[John Boorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boorman/)

> [It's one of the most beautiful memories of my life. Not everyone has a chance to meet Greta Garbo! I was so in awe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giovanna-cau/it-s-one-of-the-most-beautiful-memories-of-my-life-not-everyone-has-a/)

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> [Think like a head coach, but act like an assistant coach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-amaker/think-like-a-head-coach-but-act-like-an-assistant-coach/)

Tommy Amaker

> [I must have assistants who will solve their own problems and tell me later what they've done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-marshall/i-must-have-assistants-who-will-solve-their-own-problems-and-tell-me/)

[George C. Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-marshall/)

Browse all 322 Assistants quotes

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