Issey Miyake FW20

[x_section style=”margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 45px 0px 45px 0px; “][x_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”” style=”margin: 0px auto 0px auto; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_column bg_color=”” type=”1/4″ style=”padding: 10px 10px 10px 10px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 1px; “][x_text class=”center-text “]by Danny de la Cruz

Photo credit: Frédérique Dumoulin[/x_text][/x_column][x_column bg_color=”” type=”3/4″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_text]I was not prepared for my first Issey Miyake runway event at Paris Fashion Week. I had heard about the artistry in his events and of course seen the beautiful collections from past seasons, but it’s a different experience to see it all first hand. It’s a combination of avant-garde theater and fashion show and there’s so much happening that you need to be prepared for anything to happen at any moment.

Set during the morning of March 1 at the Lycée Carnot in Paris, the venue was filled to capacity, including this excited editor. On one end of the venue was one giant strip of white paper that served as the backdrop. As the show started, two men came out and drew the outlines of two life-sized figures with a black marker, then cut out the silhouettes and the first models walked through the cutouts in black and white creations.

Welcome to the “Making Speaking, Speaking Making” Issey Miyake Fall/Winter 2020 collection. The season is inspired from childhood, the joy of making things with our hands, and remembering all the sensory experiences that came along with it, according to show notes.

As more looks came onto the runway—through the cutouts, then from the second story of the venue and models descended down stairs along the sides of the room, color and graphic prints emerged. Outerwear in puff jackets walked the runway next and then textured, tactile looks emerged to add even more dimension. Then, the paper backdrop was torn in half and pulled away—all this while models continued to appear.

Eventually, groupings of models emerged with color block designs in bold hues. The twist? Each grouping of models was connected with fabric uniting the wearers, literally and symbolically. For me, it was a representation of the bond and connection me made as children when making things with our hands often with family and friends.

The groupings of models were a visual feast and true artistry to close out an already incredible event and forward-thinking collection. This was an emotional start to my day and I am honored to have been in the audience to see it first hand.

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