The post PFW: Issey Miyake appeared first on Wonderland.

Smiles all round

It’s actually quite shocking to see a whole cast of models smiling. Although this is something the Issey Miyake girl often does on the catwalk, it remains such a refreshing act to see models actually look happy in this context, especially at the end of a month of frowns and pouts. Set to the live soundtrack of earthy synths and voluminous percussion – provided by Ei Wada of the Open Reel Ensemble, and Masatsugu Hattori respectively – everything seemed in balance. Focusing on natural and new techniques the ‘Botanical Delights’ show yesterday extended feelings of ease and relaxation, in both atmosphere and look.

Baked Goods

The house’s design team, lead by Yoshiyuki Miyamae, turned their heads toward the combination of the natural and the mechanical. Their 3D Steam Stretch continues to evolve, while the new ‘Baked Stretch’ sees glue first printed onto the garment, before baking it in a literal oven. What comes of this is a pleat molded into the fabric – giving scope for more form fitting garments, as opposed to sewing in structure around the pleats of the fabric, the structure is now baked in. This gave way to amazingly structural horizontal ‘wave’ pleats which were based in blacks and printed with contrasting pastels or brights, following the lines of the piece. The resulting movement was joyful – the ‘bounce’ pleat perhaps…

Frayed Ends

Other notable moments came in the form of something slightly ‘rougher’ – an almost hessian like weave which spat out fraying at its edges. Formed into dresses and large collared tie-jackets, colours ranged from scorching Summer brights, to blacks and blues. Usually known for their focus on the synthetic, the house tuned its frequency to something more natural for SS16 – all in the name exploring just how far that famous pleat can go.

Words: Tom Rasmussen

The post PFW: Issey Miyake SS16 appeared first on Wonderland.

The post PFW: Issey Miyake AW15 appeared first on Wonderland.

The store, designed by renowned Japanese artist and designer Tokujin Yoshioka, opening this month is set to take London by storm.

Formerly a bank, the designer has stripped the store back to its original structure and transformed it into a visually enticing exploration of the old combined with the new. The juxtaposition of these opposing finishes creates a fascinating open structure that both surprises and delights the eye. All furniture, fittings and seating has been designed by Yoshioka specifically for the store. “Incorporating the trace of time cultivated in the space, the contrast between the texture of bare walls and the futuristic surface of aluminium is designed to express the contract of innovative creation and continued history,” says Yoshioka. “With fragments of memory spread in the space, the contingent beauty exists which cannot be recreated ever again. History and future are to be encountered upon memories in Issey Miyake 10 Brook St.”

With over 5,000sq feet and a frontage of 60 feet, beautiful blue panels of aluminium, fabricated in Germany  are a central feature of the new store. Occupying a prominent position between Bond Street and Hanover Square in the centre of Mayfair it serves an innovative new addition to London’s luxury market.

Words: Alexandra Saunders

The post Issey Miyake hits London appeared first on Wonderland.

Ah, the French. Famously aloof and dour, right? Well, today’s Issey Miyake show could put a smile on even the most implacable Parisian. Out went the restrained colour palette of previous seasons; and in came a zesty, technicolour landscape of greens, pink and blues. And if that wasn’t enough to shake you out of the grey-skied gloom of the past few days, a quartet of electronic musicians jamming in the background and producing a kind of Scottish bagpipe funk was enough to get you smiling. The models weren’t unaffected, either – they trooped down the runway wearing big, sunny grins (or, as a sign backstage advised, “TRUE SMILES”).

The show notes claimed the collection was inspired by “an ever changing mosaic of vibrantly coloured flower meadows, fields of golden wheat, the dark green of forests, the reflections of deep mirrored lakes, creating moving chequered patterns” – but this wasn’t a meditative nature-themed collection. Think a highland rave warrior.

The traditionally stoic colours of tartan and plaids were swapped for a pixellated palette, livening up androgynous suit-and-trouser combos and oversized coats. So a voluminous double-breasted coat would be treated to an electrifying dose of

colour-blocked plaid, paired with Chelsea boots with rubberized soles – just to drive home the entire techno-Scot theme. Pick us up outside the M25 for the next rave, yeah?

Words: Zing Tsjeng
Images: Mark Rabadan

The post PARIS FASHION WEEK: Issey Miyake AW13 appeared first on Wonderland.

Pictures: Amina Nolan

The post PFW: Issey Miyake appeared first on Wonderland.