Issey Miyake's Spring/Summer 2018 Collection at the Grand Palais in Paris began with the designer slowly drawing in our attention from the outside noise of Fashion Week and taking us on a trip to Iceland. With the sounds of drumbeats a large living backdrop comes alive with lighting and human forms that push through it, beckoning to us. What or who are these forms? They are elemental, earthy and organic in shape. Then, these alien-like creatures burst onto the runway in costumes that are evocative of armless or footless creatures that seem to roll across the stage like tumbleweeds. Their faces (now human) peek out from the formless organic shapes and they become our guides. You have now entered the unique world of Issey Miyake.
Inspired by the elements of the Icelandic landscape, Miyake shares his impressions of the springtime season there. It is clean, clear, cold, green with browns taken from the earth and sky in a multitude of contrasts. His signature fabric that is normally very dimensional is now flattened to seem more fluid and expressive. The shadows and crevices of a rough hewn Islandic landscape are expressed with colors, shapes, fabrics and forms in the collection. His fans are shown a new take on his classics and some new shapes that are exploratory for the adventurous among us. This is not the Miyake you have seen before because it has a grandeur that is taken from nature. This is clothing as "performance art" that comes alive; you can hear an audible silence from the audience.
Black was always a signature color for Miyake, but those new to his work will enjoy the witty use of the brighter tones of green, aqua or blue with browns that are interwoven throughout the groups of styles. His audience eagerly awaits his new take on styles evocative of his Japanese cultural roots. But this season there are more revealing styles perfect for a spring day that won't disappoint either. Shapes are built around the body, yet also expand beyond its borders. A sense of layering in a light and airy way is also present in the clothes. Just one piece of this collection added to what you already have, will change your look forever. That is how indelible and signature these clothes are, so be brave, go to a landscape you have never gone to before.
Miyake is a designer that is always on his own path. His focus on fabric technology, dyes, textiles and the art of creation are well known the world over. This makes him more than a designer. His discovery of the landscape of Iceland has informed his ideas and he has gone further as well as a creator. He is a visionary that continues to surprise and delight us; it is a journey that we thoroughly enjoy. I suggest you take a look to see where it takes you as the world of fashion is not often this interesting, this ingenious or this original.
