As guests were waiting for the Issey Miyake spring/summer 2023 show to start sounds of nature, birds chirping and wind swirling filled the space. But it wasn’t a soundtrack, but rather ICTUS performers making the sounds with their mouths or instruments. The collection held at the Césure in Paris, and themed “Grasping the Formless,” is an ode to nature. Satoshi Kondo, the House’s creative director took the helm of the brand when its eponymous founder passed away in 2022. 

For those who have taken dance before, it was clear that when the dancers began the show, they were doing freestyle movements. Somehow in the midst of their angular and sharp choreographed movements, there was a feeling of peace, as the sounds of nature echoed throughout the show space.  

One of the first things that’s noticed are flat shoes. Every model wore flat sandals or sneakers, a sigh to their feet no doubt, as fashion week can take its toll on everyone’s soles. The IsseyMiyake x New Balance MT10O sneakers were created for the foot’s highest mobility. The style is in line with Kondo’s aesthetic as a fashion designer, and he sought to bring back the originality of the MT10 shoe with the “Grasping the Formless” theme. Done in black or white, the shoe mirrors the style of a hiking boot but in the form of sneakers. 

For the fashion side of things Kondo used various knitting techniques from ambiguous, to twining, light leak, enveloping, fixed in time, and twisted to create folds, shapes, drapery and other techniques that allow for the silhouette to move more easily. 

Issey Miyake was one of the first major Japanese brands to create dance costumes due to its namesake founder’s know-how of making pliable apparel.