Issey Miyake Shows The World What Japanese Fashion is All About
PC: Vogue
I remember watching Maria Grazia Chiuri’s second-to-last collection at Dior, pre-fall 2025, held at the Toji temple in Kyoto. Her collection, as well as the location, was an ode to Christian Dior’s ongoing love and appreciation of Japan. “I’ve been researching and reflecting on the beauty of the kimono, and the intriguing philosophy behind its intelligent, versatile, timeless shape,” she explained at the preview. Her collection had many nods to kimonos and Japanese tapestry as a whole. But I couldn’t help but purse my lips as I watched the models strut past the lit-up cherry blossoms. The entire collection was giving far too much “westerners trying to be Japanese”. It kind of reminded me of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, with the fake Japanese landlord always in a kimono-esque robe. I know this is not the same, nor was Chiuri coming from the same place as whoever did the casting for this movie, but there’s still this underlying similarity of how westerners view Japanese fashion. There’s always a kimono reference, and it’s always missing the point.
Japanese people would never deconstruct a kimono. A kimono is a kimono, and it’s part of our sacred culture and will not be cut and hemmed in any which way. It remains exactly as it is, and we feel very strongly about this. The thought of making something different out of it, to change its essence, goes against everything Japan stands for. But more relevantly, we don’t think of kimonos when we think of our fashion.
Please don’t mistake this as a dislike for the designer. I think Chiuri is one of the most talented women in fashion, and I absolutely adored her resort collection. It positively took my breath away and may be my favorite runway show, ever.
My point is that there seems to be a disconnect between what the world perceives to be Japanese fashion and what it actually is. And while yes, there are multiple buckets and different aesthetics within Japan, one of my favorites is the category that Issey Miyake belongs in.
Issey Miyake Fall/Winter 2026
Issey Miyake’s latest collection, designed by Satoshi Kondo, was shown in Paris on March 6th. Most of the looks were mono- or two-toned, adhering to a minimal color palette. And yet coats, skirts, and dresses were draped in every which way, giving the collection a tastefully busy appearance. It’s precisely this balance—between organized chaos and restrained fabric combinations—that feels so inherently Japanese. The clothes seem to lift and hang in ways you wouldn’t think were possible for a garment, yet the final ensemble appears completely effortless. But that’s what Issey Miyake is famous for, isn’t it? The Pleats Please designer’s innovative ways of making clothes fall, pleat, and drape in the most calculated ways are what garnered him his fame.
Some of the pieces from this season’s collection are literally made out of paper, glued and lacquered by artisans in Kyoto to create something that’s both soft and strong. His creativity is shown again in the asymmetric deflated hats, which look like thin wood shavings that fell and landed on someone’s head. Flat shoes, rather than heels, nod to a more traditional side of Japan. The whole collection feels contemporary, avant-garde, and familiar in equal measures.
What I love the most is the way certain designs look sexy without showing any skin. Models are covered from wrist to ankle but act as seductresses. Yes, the opening look features a daringly bare back and open décolletage. But even this look feels somehow coy.
Kondo loves to challenge the meaning of “tailored,” and I am SAT watching what he comes up with season after season. Everything you see here—this is Japanese design, and we couldn’t be prouder.
