Fashion is fickle; fads are fundamental; careers are often brief. Except in Japan. There not only do quality and creativity reign but stability rules. For 15 years, a triumvirate--Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto, all in their 50s--has dominated Tokyo and played an important, sometimes starring, role in Western design. Back in the early '80s, these three astonished Paris, and their latest collections are among the strongest and freshest offered anywhere for the autumn.

Consistency and artistry are about all the trio have in common. Miyake is the thinker, a theorist in fabric, constantly experimenting to produce unusual textures. In 1993 he launched his single biggest commercial success, Pleats Please, a line of finely pleated synthetics, reminiscent of Fortuny's graceful formal silk columns but in brighter, sportier separates.

To launch his fall line--and celebrate 25 years in the business--he put on an extravaganza in Paris, a long, lavish show that underscored a strong reason for his enduring career: complex technology made beautiful by artistry. Among his models were six women whose ages ranged from 62 to 92. Perhaps Miyake was saying beauty is timeless. At least one felt that this show could be restaged a century from now and still knock 'em dead.

Kawakubo, whose label is Comme des Garcons, is ever restless. In her early days she was one of the first to show deconstructed styles: mere filaments of dark fabric. She is nothing if not eclectic. In January she stumbled in her men's fall collection, showing loose garments in prison stripes; Jewish groups protested that they looked like concentration-camp garb. She did not intend that, but as a kind of riposte her fall collection for women, called Sweeter Than Sweet, is full of pastels and organza. Never one to explain herself fully, she said, "The concept was to make it like a piece of very sweet chocolate, to pep you up when you're really tired."

Yamamoto calls himself a nomad in the fashion world, but he brings a visionary Eastern quality to whatever he touches. Last year he rang virtuoso changes on the ancient art of kimono design. This fall he wafted back toward the not-so-aged West: he might as well have paced the Lyme Regis jetty with the French lieutenant's woman. Using bounteous yards of rich wools and velvets, he re-created the long, full-skirted cloaks and dresses of the Victorian age, a period he often refers to.

With inspiration blossoming perennially from the masters, the question arises: What about the next generation of Japanese talent? It could be that the work of the masters is too daunting, though that seems problematic. Some industry observers point to the usual villain, the persistent recession. But if prosperity is hard to come by, young designers profit from Miyake's exceptional generosity. He has provided financial backing and especially studio and research facilities. Yamamoto believes new faces are turned too much toward Europe and America: "It's fine to take ideas from other countries, but the look should be original. What they're doing is not fresh."

Still, there are some interesting sparks in the next generation. One of Miyake's proteges is Akira Onozuka, who cuts with authority and sticks to clean, conservative lines: preppie with a difference. His Zucca line does well at home, but the escalating yen has kept it out of the export market. His fashions have been described as uniform, and it's no coincidence that he has designed school and company uniforms. Kosuke Tsumura, another Miyake student, launched his K-Zelle line in 1992 and two years later debuted in Paris with avant-garde Mad Max costumes. This year he switched to delicate colors, but the wild streak is still there. One baby-blue fake-fur coat was covered in white netting from collar to hem. So far, he has only a small following, but the fans are fervent. Kawakubo's best-known protege is Junya Watanabe, who shares his countrymen's passion for unusual fabrics. For the fall he conjured up some silver stainless-steel and polyester creations that looked like gossamer. He also plays with welts, extra pouches at the joints, to make movement in tight pants and jackets easier.

The next few years will tell whether these designers can develop. But Yamamoto may have a point when he says younger Japanese are looking abroad too readily. For the Big Three, scant knowledge of the West may have been a boon. Says Miyake: "Working in Paris, I discovered that what was supposed to be a disadvantage--my lack of Western heritage--could be an advantage. It freed me. I had nowhere to go but forward.'' The Big Three still run far ahead of the pack.

--Reported by Irene M. Kunii/Tokyo