Raku Meets Runway: The Kinetic Beauty of Kamoda’s Clay Reimagined in Issey Miyake IM Men's Collection

The brilliant hues of the new Issey Miyake IM Men collection at the Cartier Foundation in Paris. Photograph (above) and cover picture by Jay Zoo. 

Under the scorching summer sun in Paris, Issey Miyake’s IM Men returned to the runway with Dancing Texture, a Spring/Summer 2026 collection inspired by Japanese ceramicist Shoji Kamoda. The show transformed fabric into sculpture, channeling bold forms into designs that shimmered, swirled, and unfolded in motion. With a new ASICS footwear collaboration and a design team pushing boundaries, the collection marked a powerful fusion of tradition, technology, and transformation. Story by Jeanne-Marie Cilento. Photographs by Jay Zoo and Andrea Heinsohn  

The fabrics recalling the ceramicist 

Shoji Kamoda, were key to the new 

collection shown in Paris. 

Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn 

ON a steaming summer morning in Paris, Issey Miyake’s IM Men's collection was presented at the Cartier Foundation, heat radiating from the contemporary art museum's steel and glass. Yet the fashion offered a bracing dash of cool minimalism, a meditation on form, motion, and material memory. 

For Spring/Summer 2026, the Japanese house stepped into new terrain by looking to an old master: pioneering Japanese ceramicist Shoji Kamoda (1933–1983), whose short but radical career transformed the very language of clay. Now, his quiet revolution finds a second life, this time, not on the wheel, but on the body.

Kamoda, trained in Kyoto and active in Mashiko and Töno, was known for challenging the boundaries of ceramic form and texture. Through bold glazes, engraved surfaces, and sculptural shapes, he rejected the purely functional in favor of pieces that seemed to hum with inner movement. IM Men, the last line personally envisioned by Issey Miyake, takes that same spirit of experimentation and applies it to cloth. The result is Dancing Texture, a kinetic menswear collection that interprets Kamoda’s essence not as reference, but as transformation.

The show was an audacious, cerebral continuation of Issey Miyake’s vision ~ not simply designed, but engineered, often with humour,  intelligence, and occasionally delightful excess

The performance part of the show added another 

layer of meaning to the collection, with the dancers 

wearing the textiles inspired by Kamoda's pottery.

Photograph: Jay Zoo 

With the guidance of design trio Sen Kawahara, Yuki Itakura, and Nobutaka Kobayashi, the collection unfolded as a dialogue between art and garment. The runway, bathed in the intense light, played host to a series of pieces that shifted, shimmered, and unfolded. 

Dramatic choreography animated the designs in ways that brought Kamoda’s tactile world to life. Like clay turned on a wheel, the clothes seemed to emerge in real time, catching light, casting shadow, constantly re-forming.

Divided into a conceptually rich series, the collection offered a masterclass in textile innovation. The Urokomon series drew from Kamoda’s recurring use of fish scale-like patterns, employing a process where printed designs are gradually revealed by washing away parts of the upper fabric layer, echoing the unpredictability of firing ceramics. The Gintō pieces channeled the metallic lustre of Kamoda’s silver-glazed works, rendered here in fabrics that folded like armor yet floated like paper. Kaiyu used pigment printing to mimic the contrast between celadon glazes and exposed clay, while the Engrave series featured jacquard-woven, heat-sensitive materials that seemed to rise in waves under the touch of warmth.

The ceramicist was most keenly felt in the collection's philosophical undercurrent: the idea that everyday objects, when shaped with care and purpose carry emotional resonance

The designs mixed the futuristic with

folds that related back to origami, plus

the new footwear designed with Asics.

Photograph: Jay Zoo 

Each technique served not as homage, but as extension. Just as Kamoda stretched the boundaries of what ceramics could be, so too does IM Men stretch the assumptions of what menswear can look and feel like. 

The silhouettes ranged from space-age tailoring, coats with collars that unfolded like origami sculptures, to garments that, when laid flat, formed geometric shapes recalling the symmetry of wheel-thrown pots. Throughout, there was a persistent sense of duality: structured yet soft, organic yet engineered, tactile yet futuristic.

Iridescent textiles flashed under the blazing light; oversized hats and sculptural outerwear veered into the surreal. But then came the contrast, a whisper-light tunic in ash green and an urbane black ensemble that grounded the show in a language Miyake always spoke fluently: quiet innovation. These pieces captured the heart of the brand’s legacy, where invention is not a gimmick but a way to honor motion, simplicity, and surprise.

One of the most intriguing additions to this season’s show was the quiet debut of Issey Miyake Foot, a footwear initiative created in collaboration with Asics

IM Men is a return to the early, rigorous

work of Japanese founder Issey Miyake.

Photograph: Jay Zoo 

This was also a show of new beginnings. While Homme Plissé, Miyake’s pleated menswear staple, has now migrated to nomadic presentations abroad, IM Men has taken its place in Paris. 

And with it, a return to the rigorous, conceptual experimentation that defined Miyake’s early career. His influence, both aesthetic and philosophical, was everywhere. The very idea of clothing as an extension of movement, of fabric as a medium to be sculpted, continues to underpin the brand’s evolving identity.

One of the most intriguing additions to this season’s show was the quiet debut of Issey Miyake Foot, a footwear initiative created in collaboration with Asics. 

The first product: Hyper Taping, a laceless shoe built from dynamic straps that sprout from the brand’s iconic side stripe. The result felt more like wearable sculpture than streetwear, its form recalling cleatless football boots, its function grounded in ergonomic design. Much like Kamoda’s vessels, these shoes seemed to reject any single purpose, instead suitable for a range of activities.

While Homme Plissé, Miyake’s pleated menswear staple, has migrated to nomadic presentations abroad, IM Men in Paris has returned to the rigorous, conceptual experimentation that defined Miyake’s early career

The designs were contemporary but with a

 universality that made them feel timeless.

Photograph: Jay Zoo 

At its core, Dancing Texture was an exhibition of restraint and risk, of translating heritage without imitating it. It asked: what happens when the touch of the hand, the movement of the body, and the spirit of craft converge? 

Through the language of materials, IM Men found an answer that felt neither from the past nor futuristic but rather, timeless. Kamoda may have worked in clay, but his legacy now ripples across new surfaces, carried forward by a house that still believes fashion can be sculpture, and that clothing, like ceramics, can hold memory in motion.

The ceramicist was perhaps most keenly felt in the show’s philosophical undercurrent: the idea that everyday objects, when shaped with care and purpose, can carry emotional resonance. Just as Kamoda’s vessels were never just decorative, these garments weren’t merely for show. They invited a slow gaze, a reconsideration of surface and structure, a connection between hand and material that defies trend cycles.

IM Men’s SS26 show was not about nostalgia or legacy maintenance. It was an audacious, cerebral continuation of Issey Miyake’s vision: that clothing is not simply designed, but engineered, often with humor, always with intelligence, and occasionally with delightful excess. In a city overrun with maximalism, it offered a quieter, more studied kind of spectacle, one where fabric and light, tradition, invention and craft could all dance together.

Scroll down to see more highlights from the IM Men collection by Jay Zoo

The Kimono is More than an Artefact and More than Clothing. It is a Concept Artists Will Make their Own

Installation view of the 'Kimono' exhibition on display until October 5th, 2025, at NGV International, Melbourne, Australia. Photograph: Mitch Fong

By Sasha Grishin, Australian National University

Issey Miyake after Ikko Tanaka,
Sharaku, 2016. Coat, necklace,
hair comb, bangle and bag.
National Gallery of Victoria 
© Miyake Design Studio

The kimono garment, the national dress of Japan, carries within itself all of the magic and traditions of Japanese culture.

The basic features of the kimono are fairly simple. It is a wrapped front garment with square sleeves that has a rectangular body where the left side is wrapped over the right, except in funerary use.

The garment may be traced back to the Heian period as a distinctive style of dress for the nobility. In the Edo period (1603–1867) it came to a glorious culmination with colourful and expensive fabrics.

The great poet Matsuo Bashō once wrote “Spring passes by / again and again in layers / of blossom-kimono”. Since childhood I’ve loved the mystical image “blossom-kimono”.

In 2020, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London staged their epic exhibition Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk, where hundreds of garments, accessories, prints and photographs charted the history of the kimono from the 17th century through to the present.

A new exhibition from the National Gallery of Victoria is similarly ambitious. Over 70 fabulous garments of exquisite craftsmanship – some made of silk with gold and silver embroidery and dazzling designs – have been assembled within a context of over 150 paintings, posters, wood block prints, magazines and decorative arts.

Although many of the items have never been previously exhibited in Australia, most are now in the collection of the NGV, with many specifically acquired for this exhibition.

Exquisite production

There are seven newly acquired Edo-period silk and ramie kimonos, richly decorated with leaves, tendrils and falling snow. They provide us with a glimpse at the wealth and sophistication of the samurai and merchant classes of the 18th and 19th centuries.

One of the highlights is the Uchikake Furisode wedding kimono with pine, bamboo, plum and cranes, from the early to mid-19th century.

It is a display of exquisite taste with satin silk, shibori tie dyeing, and embroidery with gold thread. The birds and the vegetation seem to float on the surface and must have created an amazing sight when worn.

Uchikake Furisode wedding kimono with pine, bamboo, plum, and cranes early–mid 19th century. Satin silk, shibori tie dyeing, embroidery, gold thread, 177.5 cm (centre back) 131.0 cm (cuff to cuff). National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Purchased with funds donated by Michael and Emily Tong, 2024

The garment is simple and functional and, despite the exquisiteness of its production, it is also restrained in contrast to the conspicuous exuberance of some examples of 19th century European courtly dress.

Some of these Edo period kimonos can become quite narrative-driven in their design, as with the Hitoe kosode kimono with themes alluding to eight Noh theatre plays of the late Edo period. Slightly smaller than the wedding kimono, that was 177.5 cm long as opposed to 167 cm, this one revels in a blue background on gauze satin silk with a multiplicity of little narrative scenes like an assembly of diverse stage sets.

Hitoe kosode, kimono with themes alluding to eight Noh theatre plays late Edo period. Gauze satin silk, paste resist dye, embroidery, gold thread, 167.0 cm (centre back) 124.0 cm (cuff to cuff). National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Purchased with funds donated by Jennifer Lempriere and Michael Pithie, 2024

The exhibition also includes the work of contemporary Japanese kimono designers including Hiroko Takahashi, Jotaro Saito, Modern Antenna, Tamao Shigemune, Y&SONS, Rumi Rock and Robe Japonica.

The kimono as a concept

The kimono is more than an historic artefact, one where ideas and methods of production were to remain constant for centuries. It is also an idea that inspires designers working in international fashion houses.

The NGV exhibition includes kimono-inspired works of Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto, John Galliano, Comme des Garçon, Alexander McQueen, Givenchy, Zambesi and Rudi Gernreich.

Alexander McQueen’s Gown, belt and sandals (Dégradé) (2007) is one of the takeaway memories from this exhibition. The humble functional kimono has been totally transfigured.

To the silk-satin shell there have been added leather, metal and rubber accessories and synthetic shoulder pads. The purple and pink colour scheme and the sweeping sleeves that trail along the ground create a mesmerising and dominant phantom-like character that owns and dominates the space.

Gown, belt and sandals (Dégradé), 2007. The blue lady (La Dame Bleue) collection, spring-summer 2008. Silk (satin), patent leather, leather, synthetic fabric (shoulder pads, wadding), cotton (laces), metal (fastenings), rubber, (a) 176.0 cm (centre back) 33.5 cm (waist, flat) (dress) (b) 37.0 × 61.0 cm (belt) (c-d) 23.0 × 19.5 × 80.0 cm (each) (sandals). National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Gift of Krystyna Campbell-Pretty AM and Family through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, 2021 ©Alexander McQueen

It is difficult not to be impressed by McQueen’s vision, but we have now moved quite a long way from the kimono.

The kimono is a wonderful concept – an armature on which to hang many different ideas. The beauty of this exhibition is that it frees the idea of a garment from a static piece of cloth, at best to be displayed on a dummy, to something approaching a concept in design that artists will clasp and from which they will create their own work.

There are many rich nuances in the show, for example the superb almost monochrome and somewhat gothic Men’s undergarment (nagajuban) with graveyard, skulls and crescent moon (c.1930).

Men’s undergarment (nagajuban) with graveyard, skulls and crescent moon c. 1930. Silk, wool, cotton 127.0 cm (centre back) 130.5 cm (cuff to cuff). National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Maureen Morrisey Bequest, 2018

At the same time, we have Women’s kimono with geometric design and accessories (c.1930) with its polychrome exuberance with reds, blacks and greys combining geometric motifs with soft organic feather-like forms.

Bashō’s “blossom-kimono” was a meditation on the passing of time and the hope that a young girl will live to experience wrinkles that come with old age. The kimono in this exhibition celebrates the passing of time and generational change within the life of an immortal idea about function, form and ideas of beauty.

Kimono is at the National Gallery of Victoria until October 5.

By Sasha Grishin, Adjunct Professor of Art History, Australian National University

Gen Z Supports Sustainability and Fuels Ultra-Fast Fashion ~ How Does that Work?

Gen Z's shopping habits often fail to align with their values: they covet very affordable brand-new clothing yet they are aware of the environmental problems caused by ultra-fast fashion. 

By Marian Makkar and Amanda Spry, RMIT University

Generation Z has been called “the sustainability generation”.

Born between 1997 and 2013, 58% of this consumer cohort seek to buy products that are sourced sustainably. Australian Gen Zs say they are willing to pay more for brands that have a positive impact on society.

Yet, at the same time, we have witnessed the meteoric rise of ultra-fast fashion from online, direct-to-consumer retailers such as Shein, Temu and Boohoo. Shein alone generated US$32.5 billion (A$48.3 billion) in revenue in 2024 – a 43% increase from 2022.

There are complexities surrounding Gen Z’s shopping habits and how these often fail to align with their values.

On one hand, they covet a brand-new clothing item that is markedly more affordable when purchased from an ultra-fast fashion brand. On the other hand, they are aware of the environmental harms.

What explains this cognitive dissonance?

Caring about the environment …

Different from their predecessors, Gen Z has grown up with climate change as an urgent issue. Being chronically online means these concerns are not limited to their local environment.

Recent research revealed a pattern of stronger emotions of fear, guilt and outrage about the impacts of climate change among younger people, compared with older groups. These emotions could well be a driver of their activism and engagement with climate change.

They expect companies – those they buy from and work for – to prioritise sustainability in their business practices.

However, Gen Z crave more engaging ways to receive sustainability-related content. This is a worthy consideration for key players in the fashion industry.

… vs the temptation of fast fashion

Gen Z consumers are plugged into social media trends that appear with every scroll and swipe on TikTok and Instagram. Social media have spiked cultural trends that accelerate fast fashion.

Influencers promote “reps” (slang for replicas) and “dupes” (duplicates): cheaper, imitation versions of high-end fashion items. This is a way to democratise luxury by normalising “superfake” products and making luxury more accessible to a broader audience.

Social media tactics such as “hauls” and get-ready-with-me (“GRWM”) videos entice Gen Zs to get stuck on the treadmill of overconsumption. The idea is for content creators to show off massive amounts of new, trendy clothing. This in turn fuels the desire for consumers to continuously buy what they are seeing online – in bulk.

Fast fashion giants such as Zara and H&M have based their business models on translating what is on catwalks into cheap clothing, produced in mass quantities. Now, ultra-fast fashion brands such as Shein speed up the production cycle, the trend churn and consequently the volume.

Having seven trending items, over two high-quality outfits, makes more sense to Gen Z consumers in the digital age.

The cost-of-living crisis plays a part too. A recent survey of Australian Gen Zs revealed at least 77% are experiencing money concerns.

The biggest demographic to pull back on spending due to economic stress are 18–26-year-olds. Young people typically earn the lowest wages and enjoy less job security. These financial constraints are challenging to Gen Zs seeking to consume more sustainably.

Fast fashion becomes a cheap option for them to stay trendy without breaking the bank.

The ‘attitude–behaviour gap’

Gen Z are Shein shoppers, haul lovers, micro-trend followers, and repeat outfit shamers. This stands starkly against their eco-conscious values.

While this seems hypocritical, it is what is referred to as the attitude–behaviour gap – the incongruence between what people say and what they actually do. This is a phenomenon noted across multiple generations.

The attitude–behaviour gap has been widely documented in social psychology and ethical consumerism studies. These underscore that consumer intentions are not reliable predictors of behaviour.

Even ethically minded consumers do not always walk their talk. But we can’t expect individual consumers to be entirely responsible for things like the carbon footprint of fast fashion, or the exploitation of workers in factories.

The clothing industry lacks transparency in business practice and Gen Z consumers often lack information about the products they are buying.

The responsibility to shop sustainably should not fall solely on consumers, but on governments, policymakers and corporations to be more ethical.

Unsurprisingly, 88% of Gen Z shoppers do not trust companies’ sustainability claims.

What does this mean for the sustainability movement?

Despite climate change being a major stressor for Gen Z, the attitude–behaviour gap continues to exist when it comes to hunting for a new outfit.

Being bombarded with persuasive tactics from brands and influencers, the ease of access to new items at the click of a button, and the allure of affordable pricing amid a cost-of-living crisis makes it very difficult for even the most committed Gen Z consumer to buy ethically.

The fashion industry is one of the biggest dangers to the environment in terms of its carbon and raw material footprint, and truckloads of clothing ending up in landfills.

While most young people know and respect Greta Thunberg’s environmental mission, she is not the one they are watching on TikTok or liking on Instagram.

It is time to re-engage with social media content creators in different ways that educate consumers, promote responsible behaviour and advocate for changed regulations and business practices. This might include tried-and-true tactics such as influencer endorsements and haul videos that are refocused on more sustainable options – like online second-hand retailers.

The emergence of “underconsumption core” on TikTok in recent months, as well as “deinfluencing”, where influencers call on their followers to buy less, is promising.

While sustainable clothing has a “bad rap” for being expensive, fast fashion brands are trying to adapt by offering options such as H&M Conscious. Any fashion offering must be convenient, accessible and trendy to capture Gen Z’s attention and wallet.

Marian Makkar, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, RMIT University and Amanda Spry, Senior Lecturer of Marketing, RMIT University

How Anna Wintour Changed Fashion: Celebrities, Blue Jeans and Couture

American Vogue editor Anna Wintour at the Met Gala she oversees in New York. Photograph: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP. Cover picture of KidSuper SS26 in Paris by Jay Zoo for DAM 

By Jye Marshall and Rachel Lamarche-Beauchesne

Queen Elizabeth II and Anna Wintour 

at British designer Richard Quinn's

2018 runway show. 

AFTER 37 years at the helm, fashion industry heavyweight Anna Wintour is stepping down from her position as editor-in-chief of American Vogue. 

It’s not a retirement, though, as Wintour will maintain a leadership position at global fashion and lifestyle publisher Condé Nast (the owner of Vogue and other publications, such as Vanity Fair and Glamour). 

Nonetheless, Wintour’s departure from the US edition of the magazine is a big moment for the fashion industry – one which she has single-handedly changed forever.

Fashion Magazine Fever

Fashion magazines as we know them today were first formalised in the 19th century. They helped establish the “trickle down theory” of fashion, wherein trends were traditionally dictated by certain industry elites, including major magazine editors.

In Australia, getting your hands on a monthly issue meant rare exposure to the latest European or American fashion trends.

Vogue itself was established in New York in 1892 by businessman Arthur Baldwin Turnure. The magazine targeted the city’s elite class, initially covering various aspects of high-society life. In 1909, Vogue was acquired by Condé Nast. From then, the magazine increasingly cemented itself as a cornerstone of the fashion publishing.

Cover of a 1921 edition of Vogue. 

Wikimedia, CC BY

The period following the second world war particularly opened the doors to mass fashion consumerism and an expanding fashion magazine culture.

Wintour came on as editor of Vogue in 1988, at which point the magazine became less conservative, and more culturally significant.

Not Afraid to Break the Mould

Fashion publishing changed as a result of Wintour’s bold editorial choices – especially when it came to the magazine’s covers. Her choices both reflected, and dictated, shifts in fashion culture.

Wintour’s first cover at Vogue, published in 1988, mixed couture garments (Christian Lacroix) with mainstream brands (stonewashed Guess jeans) – something which had never been done before. It was also the first time a Vogue cover had featured jeans at all – perfectly setting the scene for a long career spent pushing the magazine into new domains.

Anna Wintour's first Vogue cover in November 1988 featuring a revolutionary mix of what we call today hi/o: a Christian Lacroix heavily bejewelled top and a pair of Guess Jeans.  

Wintour also pioneered the centring of celebrities (rather than just models) within fashion discourse. And while she leveraged big names such as Beyonce, Madonna, Nicole Kidman, Kate Moss, Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey, she also featured rising stars as cover models – often helping propel their careers in the process

Wintour’s legacy at Vogue involved elevating fashion from a frivolous runway to a powerful industry, which is not scared to make a statement. Nowhere is this truer than at the Met Gala, which is held each year to celebrate the opening of a new fashion exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.

The event started as a simple fundraiser for the Met in 1948, before being linked to a fashion exhibit for the first time in 1974.

Wintour took over its organisation in 1995. Her focus on securing exclusive celebrity guests helped propel it to the prestigious event it is today.

This year’s theme for the event was Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. In a time where the US faces great political instability, Wintour was celebrated for her role in helping elevate Black history through the event.

Not Without Controversy

However, while her cultural influence can’t be doubted, Wintour’s legacy at American Vogue is not without fault.

Notably, her ongoing feud with animal rights organisation PETA – due to the her unwavering support for fur – has bubbled in the background since the heydays of the anti-fur movement.

Wintour has been targeted directly by anti-fur activists, both physically (she was hit with a tofu cream pie in 2005 while leaving a Chloe show) and through numerous protests.

This issue was never resolved. Vogue has continued to showcase and feature fur clothing, even as the social license for using animal materials starts to run out.

Fashion continues to grow increasingly political. How magazines such as Vogue will engage with this shift remains to be seen.

A Changing Media Landscape

The rise of fashion blogging in recent decades has led to a wave of fashion influencers, with throngs of followers, who are challenging the unidirectional “trickle-down” structure of the fashion industry.

Today, social media platforms have overtaken traditional media influence both within and outside of fashion. And with this, the power of fashion editors such as Wintour is diminishing significantly.

Many words will flow regarding Wintour’s departure as editor-in-chief, but nowhere near as many as what she oversaw at the helm of the world’s biggest fashion magazine.

Jye Marshall, Lecturer, Fashion Design, School of Design and Architecture, Swinburne University of Technology and Rachel Lamarche-Beauchesne, Senior Lecturer in Fashion Enterprise, Torrens University Australia