Fashion often feels like a fleeting promise, pushed forward by seasons, silhouettes, and headlines. And then there are the rare names that do more than design collections or build brands. They create an attitude. The late Issey Miyake, who passed away a few years ago, was one of those names. His work, his philosophy, his life’s project: a synthesis of craft and technology, of tradition and tomorrow.
That vision continues to live on in his men’s line, launched in 2013, not as a nostalgic echo but as a quiet revolution. Miyake’s kimono-inspired philosophy of “one piece of cloth”—clothing as an expression of both freedom and structure, is written into every pleat. At Pitti Uomo in Florence, that idea took centre stage, with Homme Plissé as the guest of honour, staging a presentation and exhibition at the Villa Medicea della Petraia.
Florence 2025 marked a new chapter for Homme Plissé in its still-young story. The scenography, designed by Andrea Faraguna and Michael Kleine, drew from the villa’s serene beauty, its Tuscan architecture and Renaissance gardens cultivated since the 16th century. The choreography felt more like suspension than runway: not models, but performers moving through the villa and its gardens. They didn’t dance, they embodied the clothes. Their gestures didn’t tell a story; they were the story. It was a quiet, reverent staging. No spectacle. A pause.
The hybrid format of exhibition and performance offered insight into processes: studies, fabric experiments, and the transformation from idea to garment. In the Renaissance gardens, among pine trees and sculptures, prototypes, pleated reliefs, and geological fragments were displayed—a dialogue between nature, fabric, and humans, as essential to Miyake’s work as breath itself.
Where Aesthetics and Function Meet
The pieces themselves draw on the colours of lush landscapes and the characteristics of Italian cities, folding them into both new ideas and familiar codes. The palette runs from deep morning reds to moody autumn shades, punctuated by abstract greens and yellows. Linen-like jerseys sit alongside long, collarless double-breasted “Tailored Pleats” jackets from the Carrier Carried series, a line inspired by journeys and the idea of reaching new places, at once playful and pragmatic. After wearing, the pieces can be folded back into garment bags, collapsing elegance into function.
Other collections, like the recent Lithology: The Curious Stones, turn clothing into geological exploration. Inspired by the raw beauty of rock, the looks go beyond fabric and cut, becoming meditations on the artistry of nature itself. These deceptively simple yet deeply functional designs highlight Homme Plissé’s expertise in form with clean lines, multiple pockets, and a balance of utility and elegance.
Issey Miyake was never just a designer. He was a seeker. Born in Hiroshima in 1938, he survived the atomic bomb. That experience shaped him and his work. After studying in Tokyo, Paris and New York, he forged a humanist approach to fashion: clothing not as armour or symbol of status, but as a tool for movement, expression, self-determination.
A Workshop for the Future of Softness
Perhaps his most radical idea: “one piece of cloth”. Taking the kimono as inspiration, Miyake imagined clothing that doesn’t impose itself on the body but wraps around it. Instead of constructing cuts, he let fabric speak. It was the start of a new language in fashion, one where each pleat carried meaning.
Miyake may have passed in 2022, but his thinking feels more alive than ever. Under the creative direction of Satoshi Kondo, the Homme Plissé team continues not by imitation, but by carrying forward Miyake’s questions: What is clothing in a changing world? How can fabric enable movement – physical, social, and emotional?
Check out the whole collection on the official website.
Read more:
- Designer sunglasses for men – from Dior to Zegna: these luxury brands turn trendy models into legends
- The best luxury hotels in Marrakech
Last Updated on March 30, 2026 by Editorial Team
