Starting this year, HOMME PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE will parade around the world

There was a certain surprise at the last Paris Fashion Week Men’s when a shift occurred in the usual show slot of Issey Miyake. Instead of presenting the HOMME PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE line in a runway show, the brand chose to debut the IM MEN line, announcing that from now on, this new collection would be the protagonist of the brand’s menswear shows. The show was stunning—but many started wondering about the future of HOMME PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE presentations. Due to the very nature of the garments, with their pleated structures that enhance movement, these shows were always unique experiences, quite different from traditional runway formats. However, it seems that the audience will not have to give up on HOMME PLISSÉ shows, as the brand announced today that the line will continue to have its biannual presentations but in a brand-new format: traveling shows around the world, detached from fashion weeks and the traditional fashion calendar, engaging in direct dialogue with the local realities of each destination. The first chapter of this new creative phase will take place in June, with the SS26 show being presented at Pitti Immagine Uomo.

This new approach is based on the belief that travel is an endless source of inspiration and that exposure to different cultures offers the brand an opportunity to enrich its creative process, experimenting with new shapes, materials, and ideas. The goal is to develop an aesthetic that is even more universal, combining innovation and tradition in a harmonious synthesis, while also introducing seasonal elements of novelty into the production of a line that, based on Miyake’s original concepts, has remained a cult favorite since its first launch in 2013. The entire philosophy behind HOMME PLISSÉ is built on the idea of fully pleated garments, made from materials that resist wrinkling, dry quickly, and, most importantly, adapt to the wearer’s body, creating sculptural effects. Thanks to hyper-linear constructions, the designs achieve a modern—if not futuristic—appearance. Over the years, both the founder and the team carrying on the brand after his passing have demonstrated that these aesthetic principles allow for infinite variations. This shift will likely also mark an evolution in the way the brand communicates its identity, exploring new storytelling formats and reinterpreting its stylistic language. In the press statement, for example, the brand revealed that the collection showcased in Florence will be the «result of research and studies conducted during our visits to various locations across Italy». Consider us intrigued.