“Clothing is something that’s fabricated, that’s man-made, but I began this collection by treating and thinking of clothing as if it were alive or as if it were conscious, have feelings — like a living organism,” explained Satoshi Kondo.
The fundamental idea was to have a new relationship between the wearer and what’s worn. “I hope there’s a new sense of beauty,” he said. “Through this collection, we’re trying to offer the audience, or the customers, a new perspective of looking at the things you wear every day.”
The garments were also meant to convey the freedom that Issey Miyake, the brand’s founding designer, used to express through clothing.
One series of garments for spring was inspired by little plants or leaves growing out of cracks in the pavement. “That kind of vigor, that kind of growth — the plant itself is yearning for freedom,” said Kondo, who sought to translate such vitality into the fashion lineup, called “Being Garments, Being Sentient.”
The series of seamlessly knitted tubular pieces, in complex forms and silhouettes, almost looked like otherworldly, organic creatures or plants — with sleeves and other openings. Those can be worn in versatile ways chosen by the wearer.
Elsewhere, shoulders were extruded and rounded, while other body-con looks revealed objects incorporated under nylon-polyurethane fabric. Some garments seemed twisted or spliced, then morphed into hybrids.
There was an element of mystery and an exercise of strong style, which was set to a soundscape by another perspective-shifter, Tarek Atoui, at the Pompidou Center.
