Issey Miyake RTW Spring 2018

The origins of the Issey Miyake spring collection came from Iceland, that wild and rugged place.

Yoshiyuki Miyamae was undaunted. He seized on the opportunity to insert the house’s portfolio of sophisticated fabric production techniques into a timeline of geologic scale. And did it both firmly and naturally.

The brown hue on a checkered ensemble came from the traditional Japanese Dorozome dyeing process involving earth. Bursts of yellow and fuzzy fringes cropped up on layered dresses, evoking the moss-laden lava fields. Japanese are famously — and with reason — obsessed with moss and Miyamae is no exception.

But what of the remaining element: air?

“Movement is very important for Issey Miyake,” Miyamae explained after the show. And movement there was. Uneven pleats imprinted with the natural landscapes bounced in an accordion-like manner. Long, white zig-zagging stripes softened the blue and ocher landscape imprint on a wide-legged pantsuit ensemble, the sleeveless top stretching to the knees. The zigs and zags were printed through a heat-baked glue technique.

A dramatic and primeval dance performance kicked off the show. It began with hands pushing from behind a fabric wall, stretching it with increasing depth and intensity until dancers suddenly spilled out from the sides. Locked in a pair, they twisted and turned, pulling their covers into unrecognizable forms before breaking loose and sprinting, individually, down the runway.

Launch Gallery: Issey Miyake RTW Spring 2018

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