Whenever you look at a piece of fabric, you find boundless creativity,
Manifested in the empty space, transforming and preparing to take flight.
Wide and deep as it is, the fabric absorbs new ideas,
Calling forth spontaneity and inspiring an idea of freedom.
Fly with IM MEN
Now, with this piece of cloth, we fly upward lightly.
The primary need to dress has ancient roots in the history of peoples, from there it has evolved, changed functions and modes. Until it reached mere decorative and aesthetic representation, the identity of fashion. Instead, the Miyake Design Studio reflects on the roots of dressing, the construction of yarns and fabrics, the use of innovative materials and techniques. Fabric is reinterpreted as a true sculpture, resting on the body, dressing it, protecting it, but at the same time enhancing its characters. The draperies that descend on the forms of those walking down the catwalk enter into a clear dialogue with the movement of the installation, a mechanical arm that moves a dark-colored panel, a canvas on which to paint, the starting point from which to begin to trace a story. The collection is reduced to its essence, the lines are soft and gliding, the cuts minimal and rational, the volumes exaggerated.
Innovation peeps out once again in the search for the materials used, nylon becomes 100 percent vegetable, as does the proposed vegetable polyester suede, knitwear is presented in bright colors, on garments and footwear that look comfortable and snug. Dresses are almost all inspired by tailoring, as are shirts and soft pants. The workmanship becomes curled, pitted, resulting in linear shapes and camouflage-looking textures. There is also a play of light, fresh and irreverent tone, the shiny and matte alternate between laminations and fabrics with a heavier, dusty visual appearance. Leather appears on accessories, bags with bag-like shapes, hats fitted on the head, and ankle-length shoes. Scarves stretch and wrap around the neck and face. The hues used are intense, never dull or forceful, all accentuated by the skillful use of fabrics. The défilé opens with Issey Miyake’s classic neutral tones, there are whites, grays, browns with hints of black and white, turns to shades of green and dark blue, and ends with bright splashes of yellow and purple.
FLY tells the story of a lightweight material, which is often created from fabric scraps and remnants, coats and jackets that are created are versatile, allowing different silhouettes to be formed and worn inside out. FLAT DRAPE, as the name describes, is a series composed of draperies, all fabrics when folded form a square and, when worn, the corners form fluid folds, the material is a polyester of partially plant origin that gives softness and elasticity. WALL, on the other hand, refers to the world of outerwear, to the more technical aspect of recycled polyester with a shiny appearance, in addition to being soft to the touch it is anti-fold and transformable through buttons positioned along the entire length of the garment. HERON has Ultrasuede at its core, an innovative material that does not fray when cut, the technique used here creates small round holes of different sizes that despite the large volume allows for a lightweight structure. Instead, SWITCH features 100% plant-based nylon fiber. The padded parts are all removable, those on pants become vests, and those on coats instead can be used as large hoods. METALLIC ULTRA BOA employs an eco-friendly leather, to which a film is applied to make it look metallic; zippers that stretch perpendicularly across the garment allow for a twist that creates bold silhouettes. KASURI, on the other hand, is a modern reinterpretation of the traditional dyeing of the same name, which involves placing partially pre-dyed and woven yarns on the loom to create gradient patterns.
Versatility and transformation are paid homage in the show’s finale, with some of the models who have come out onto the runway and stand before the guests in a primal dance, in continuous dialogue with the twisting mechanical arm. The coat they are wearing is untied and unbuttoned, transformed into a linear rectangular panel of fabric that becomes a cape to protect the body and raised then to the sky to symbolize the freedom of the fabric fluttering in the air, like the childish game of kite flying. IM MEN investigates new possibilities for creating and assembling garments, with an approach that does justice to the form and construction of the piece itself. The alternation of geometries tells the whole combination of fashion, art and research that underlies the brand. The dialogue between traditional craftsmanship, history and heritage, becomes innovation, modern technology. Once again the dimension into which we are transported is graceful, primordial, almost ancestral. It is the skillful creative ability to bring us back to reality, to make us touch the ground, made of matter, experience and truth.
