the joy of the new Issey Miyake

why i think Issey Miyake's new designer, Satoshi Kondo could be changing the fashion industry .

if you have spent any time on social media in the past month there is a high chance that you have seen pictures or videos from fashion week. whether it be in new york, milan, paris or london there have been headlines popping up everywhere about what these designers have been bringing out for their 2020 lines.

if you have seen these videos, then there is an even higher chance that one of those videos was of Issey Miyake's Paris fashion week show in which the dresses float down from

the ceiling to dress the models on the runway. when i first saw this video i was in awe as i had never seen something like this done during a fashion show and immediately bombarded friends, family, and my instagram story with the video as i wanted everyone to share in my excitement.

after more in depth research, i have found that these heaven-sent dresses were not the only industry changing moment in this show and, personally, i was so impressed by this and cannot wait to see the changes that this will make to fashion shows in the future.

Issey Miyake is known for their technology-driven clothing in the past, but with a change in designers at the beginning of this month, the show last Friday had been eagerly awaited to see exactly what Satoshi Kondo would bring to the brand.

Kondo focused this line on movement. something that i have always loved about watching fashion shows is seeing the way that the clothing moves as the models walk, because you cannot understand it solely based on looking at pictures. the fabrics that were used intentionally caught the air to allow a cape to billow as the model walked, or filled a parachute-esque skirt as the model twirled, or, as seen in the viral video, the dresses showed off how bouncy the fabric was as the models jumped and danced to the upbeat music.

the show started off with models sporting a much more subdued color palette than the brand usually has with monochrome outfits and large, lightweight, straw hats. when there was a pattern it was broad brushstrokes on still rather subdued colors.

next, models came out with large billowing capes, similar to windbreakers, or, as large as they were, more similar to tents. when they were unzipped the air caught them and filled

them so they grew to show just how large they really were. these windbreaker capes were where more color crept in and we see neon colors whether it be on the windbreakers themselves or on the flowy pants of similar material.

on the same idea there were also dresses that allowed air to fill them at the bottom hem so that when the models began to twirl and spin the air filled them to create an interesting silhouette. what i loved about this show was how Kondo had the models do more than just walk, to show how

versatile the pieces are. for example, some of the models were dancing and spinning, while some were zipping around the floor on motorized skateboards to show how flowy, and easy to move in the material is.

the next surprising moment was when models entered the room in only nude colored undergarments and blank expressions, it was obvious that the audience felt this did not fit in to the theme of the show so far, until hoops hidden in the ceiling came down to dress the models, dress and hat, in one swift motion. once the models were dressed there is an

immediate change in music and the models begin to smile, jump, and dance. I believe that this section of the show went viral not only due to the futuristic style of dressing the models but because of the pure joy that you can see on the models faces as they get to

showcase the bounciness of Kondo's dresses but also have fun while doing so.

finally, the show ended with all of the models dressed in bright dresses, holding hands and dancing in what looks to be the most joyful fashion show i personally have ever seen.

with this new phase of the Issey Miyake brand i am excited to see who will take inspiration from this way of showcasing fashion and the joy that can be portrayed to an audience through clothing.

-a.m.

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photos taken from: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2020-ready-to-wear/issey-miyake