In a shift, the label struck again by its proclivity to make a new look out of the most common pleat.
FLORENCE, Tuscany — Homme Plissé Issey Miyake’s favourite kind of aficionado looks fragile but acts strong.
“The kind of wearer with a versatile and functional demeanour,” the design team stated in a press preview. That dichotomy played out in the house’s Spring 2026 collection, which contrasted its signature tailoring—it comprises pleats and macro motifs that were soft to the touch, leaning on a new design approach that points to the craving for “travelling as an act of creative discovery,” they added.
Ditto, they were thinking of travel but in a less-in-your-face variety. The season’s inspiration came courtesy of Italian landscapes and their imposing beauty.
The brand’s aesthetic is a minimal one; it opts for clean, uncluttered silhouettes – meaning you won’t be seeing wacky embellishments on the runway anytime soon. Or sexy cuts. Models had a newfound ease to them. And as for those pieces that left a mark, more often than not they looked like floating characters in pursuit of freedom. They weren’t quite conventional, but they certainly weren’t come-hither either.
To convey the lightness, the label turned to colour and to appropriate mood, they kept honing their cultural study of fabrics by collecting over 200 colour swatches. Standouts include ultra-light jersey fabrics made of polyester (that feel like linen) and a double-breasted blazer in lilac.
Overall, fluid tailoring and smart outerwear (from quasi-casual to full-o luxe in natural hues) defined this quietly sophisticated—yet technical—collection (to note: a bag becomes a trenchcoat, evoking a sense of playfulness and modularity).
There are pieces here that a world citizen would no doubt be keen to add to their racks ahead of a Summer trip. In fact, the Homme Plissé Issey Miyake aficionado travels with practicality at its core, no doubt, but there’s more than enough here to exercise the brand’s imagination and understanding.
by Chidozie Obasi