Tsumori Chisato was born in the Japanese city of Saitama, Japan. Chisato attended Tokyo's Bunka Fashion College. She began work with Issey Miyake in 1977 under the "Issey Sports" line, which was later renamed "I.S. Chisato Tsumori Designs." With the support of Issey Miyake, she started her own line in 1990.
