Issey Miyake A/W 2018

Mood board: designer Yusuke Takahashi often looks to nature and the contrast between the city and the elements; his A/W 2018 collection explored functionality. How to create workwear that’s relaxed yet able to stand up to the demands of urban life? Re-thinking workplace uniforms is a preoccupation for designers today – the Silicon Valley generation don’t recognise suiting, stiff collars and knotted ties. It’s sneakers with suits, brogues with jersey track pants – everything is upside down. Just as Off-White’s Virgil Abloh examined ‘business casual’ for A/W, twisting jersey separates and pinstripe suiting, Takahasi gave his working man a wardrobe of startling ease.
Best in show: key for the season is a series of reversible garments that can be freely worn inside out – soft and lightweight, they are spot-on for this modern world. At Fendi, all of the clothes were reversible too but for ease when traveling; at Miyake, these clothes have an aesthetic pull bellied by a Japanese pragmatism. Thick striped cotton jackets can be turned inside out to reveal raised wools, worn with matching trousers. A double-weave zip-up shirt jacket oscillates between a gleaming Giallo red chambray and deep black bouclé.
Finishing touches: the round sunglasses are a re-edition of a Miyake design first released in 1985. The style consists of a straight line in lightweight titanium with two circles of acetate resting over the eyes. A/W 2018 is a standout season for sneakers too from the showy to the serene; a square-toe chunky sandal and a technical mesh plimsoll set the Miyake man off on his mission.
Issey Miyake A/W 2018. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Issey Miyake A/W 2018. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Issey Miyake A/W 2018. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Issey Miyake A/W 2018. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
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London based writer Dal Chodha is editor-in-chief of Archivist Addendum — a publishing project that explores the gap between fashion editorial and academe. He writes for various international titles and journals on fashion, art and culture and is a contributing editor at Wallpaper*. Chodha has been working in academic institutions for more than a decade and is Stage 1 Leader of the BA Fashion Communication and Promotion course at Central Saint Martins. In 2020 he published his first book SHOW NOTES, an original hybrid of journalism, poetry and provocation.
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