“Just a piece of cloth to form something proper”, these are the words that open IM MEN’s Fall/Winter 2026/27 show. What we hear at the very beginning of the défilé unfolds in a dark, slowed-down atmosphere, destined, however, to gradually ignite and quicken in rhythm with the runway. The collection is presented in Paris, within the spaces of the Collège des Bernardins, moving precisely within a liminal zone: between dawn and dusk, between beginning and end, between what we recognize as “formal” and what has yet to be named.
At first, we are enveloped in a soft, muted light. The only colors that meet the eye are optical white and a dense, porous black, capable of absorbing light without reflecting it back. A decisive choice: to launch the collection exclusively through these two colors is a powerful statement. In his final artistic phase, particularly in the Untitled (Black on Grey) series, Mark Rothko focused his immense color fields precisely on white and black. Black evokes emptiness and silence; white suggests a fragile, almost spiritual light. Rothko wished for his paintings to be observed in prolonged silence, in a state akin to meditation: works not intended to please, but to reveal something deep and complex. The same can be said of the garments presented on the runway. Everything invites concentration, a careful attention to what is seen and felt. The slow pace of the models, like moving statues, helps create this suspended space.
Form is merely a symbol, while essence remains anchored in the depths. (…) From a single piece of cloth, the sense of something “real” begins to take shape.
Chromatically, the collection unfolds gradually, opening up to new shades: from black to white, to a neutral palette of greens, grays, and deep blues—earthy tones; and later, to stronger, saturated, and vibrant hues, almost painterly. Rectangles of fabric overlap and juxtapose in bold contrasts, constructing dynamic, layered surfaces. Color becomes both a narrative and structural element at the heart of the collection. The design team behind IM MEN—Sen Kawahara, Yuki Itakura, and Nobutaka Kobayashi—works on a collection of solid, grounded garments, structured with extreme intricacy. Formless Form, the name of the collection revealed in advance by the Maison, stands as a faithful statement of intent: shedding predefined silhouettes to listen to what the material itself suggests. Here, a garment emerges from a single piece of cloth, folding, contracting, expanding—just a piece of cloth. The pieces are complex and heavily layered, sometimes to the point where their original form becomes hard to discern: jackets, shirts, and coats are transformed, rendered almost “defenseless” and nearly unrecognizable under multiple overlapping layers of fabric. Soft, airy forms emerge, fluid drapes following the movement of the material in trousers and shirts.
The silhouettes are manifold: on one hand, wide volumes that conceal the body, wrapping it like a warm, comforting protection; on the other, closer-fitting lines that follow the natural contours of the body, lending structure and geometry through distinctive elements of the Miyake language—pleats, folds, and geometric constructions achieved through fabric manipulation. Everything revolves around form and the infinite possibilities a garment has to transform it. Tailored suits with long ties, suspended behind the shoulders as if caught by a gust of wind, exemplify this exploration. It is also fascinating to observe the careful study of lengths: layers upon layers of scarves draped over the shoulders, nearly reaching the floor; long ties; trousers that fall not in a straight line, but in tiers, like flowing flounces; and drapes originating from the torso.
IM MEN builds a wardrobe that engages with everyday life without trivializing it, finding poetry in function and depth in artisanal gesture. In Formless Form, fashion becomes an act of presence—a way of inhabiting the world with awareness, starting from what is most essential. Just a single piece of cloth, and everything can begin.
