Center stage in the video presentation for this Issey Miyake Homme Plissé collection were the pleating machines that give the garments their addictive accordion flexibility. Titled “Never Change, Ever Change,” the film folded back and forth between scenes of masked Miyake technicians feeding fabric into the machines and a group of models clad in first monochrome and then color moving with the freedom those fabrics afford.
The “Never Change” side of this collection’s title was reflected in the consistency of a label that, since 2013, has offered clothes that often look neutral and which feel sublime. The “Ever Change” flip side was meanwhile articulated in a series of innovations of new developments. These included the brand’s first use of an entirely recycled polyester to make five key house styles, which will be at first available in black. Another first were garments made in yarn-dyed polyester, which the house touted as being as warm as wool but wrinkle-resistant. The print of the season was hand-drawn and inspired by basket weave, while the tailoring section included a new short-length jacket with an integrated apron front.
The freshest garment was a four-button cross-collar trench in taupe and black that Miyake christened the “Press Coat” in honor of its inwardly tucked and pressed sleeves that ensure a raffish dissonance at the elbows. The purity of design purpose and mastery of materials combined to produce another collection that looked delightful to change into and take pleasure in.
