By Diane Pernet
In the heart of Paris at the Césure space, a soft murmur began on September 29. ISSEY MIYAKE unveiled their Spring-Summer 2024 collection, “Grasping the Formless.” This isn’t just fashion—it’s poetry in motion. Drawing inspiration from the indefinable—like the fleeting dance of wind or the caress of light—the collection artfully blurs the lines between nature’s whimsy and tailored craft. Its ethereal garments resonate with wearers, introducing a new fluid aesthetic that both adapts to and enhances the individual.
Visitors were immersed in an interdisciplinary spectacle: large strips of pleated washi paper, ethereal and weightless, floating and reacting to the environment, echoing the way fabric drapes on a body. The opening act saw artists gracefully weave between these paper membranes, their movements echoing a call-and-response dance, creating an ambiance where sound, motion, and fashion flowed in harmony.
The AMBIGUOUS series is a masterclass in duality, balancing the silhouette’s reveal with the inherent tension of its cotton thread. A delicate drape on the front is juxtaposed against a ribbed back that embraces and sculpts.
TWINING takes its cues from the heavens, mimicking a flag’s whimsical flutter. The fabric, though light, has an intentional rigidity, capturing twists and turns in a dance of weave and gap. Meanwhile, LIGHT LEAK evokes a nostalgic feel, with blurred prints emerging from deliberately overexposed analog films, each telling a story of fleeting moments in time.
ENVELOPING captivates with its single, tubular fabric, twisting and setting with an allure that suggests both structure and surrender. The Japanese washi paper’s luster in this series mingles with polyester, giving depth and softness to the drapes.
FIXED IN TIME isn’t just a series; it’s an ethos. Capturing movement, this collection introduces angular folds that suggest dynamism even in stillness. TWISTED and SHAPED MEMBRANE series lean into textures, with fabrics that seem to have a life of their own, organically forming and stretching over the body.
The crowning glory? A collaboration with New Balance: ISSEY MIYAKE x New Balance MT10O. A tribute to minimalist mobility, these designs channel Satoshi Kondo‘s sensory explorations and the hallmark ISSEY MIYAKE aesthetics. Every step in these feels less like wearing a shoe and more like a gentle continuation of the self.
Miyake’s Spring-Summer 2024 isn’t just a collection; it’s a philosophy, a celebration of the indefinable and the ethereal, bringing together the world, the wearer, and the wonder of design.
The crowning glory? A collaboration with New Balance: ISSEY MIYAKE x New Balance MT10O. A tribute to minimalist mobility, these designs channel Satoshi Kondo‘s sensory explorations and the hallmark ISSEY MIYAKE aesthetics. Every step in these feels less like wearing a shoe and more like a gentle continuation of the self.
