Paris Fashion Week: 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) by Jay Zoo for DAM. 

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

Paris Haute Couture: Fallow Yet Fertile ~ Imane Ayissi’s Couture Garden of Renewal Blooms

Brilliant colour and natural materials were key to Imane Ayissi's new collection in Paris. Photograph (above) and cover picture by Andrea Heinsohn for DAM.

At Paris Haute Couture Week, Imane Ayissi’s Autumn-Winter 2025/2026 collection emerged as one of the standout runway moments. Titled Ikorrok, after the Ewondo word for a fallow garden, the show combined sculptural silhouettes and vivid color with a thematic focus on nature’s cycles of renewal. Bringing together African craft traditions and Parisian couture techniques, the collection was both visually striking and conceptually grounded, reinforcing the designer's growing reputation for reshaping the language of haute couture. Story by Jeanne-Marie Cilento. Photography by Andrea Heinsohn and Jay Zoo. 

A brilliant fuchsia and raffia

flowers made this gown a 

highlight of the collection. 

Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn 

INSIDE the Haussmann salons of the elegant Maison de l'Artisanat, located between the Eiffel Tower and the Champs-Elysees in Paris, beneath cascades of light refracted by a monumental chandelier, Imane Ayissi unveiled his new couture collection with a vision based as much on philosophy as fabric. The designer created his own manifesto about regeneration: of the land, of fashion, and of cultural narratives.

“My couture is made to dress women, but a collection is also a way of telling stories, of expressing my vision,” the designer said. “This season, I wanted to talk about nature, and the way contemporary humanity mistreats it. That’s why this collection is called Ikorrok. It sums up the new relationship we should all be entering into with nature today.”

In an industry known for excess, Ayissi presented a collection that sought to realign couture with responsibility. Materials were chosen not merely for their beauty but for their ability to one day return to the earth. 

French sheep’s wool felt formed the base of jackets and gowns, their rough-edged seams reminding the audience of natural textures rather than manufactured polish. These were embroidered with porcelain flowers, semi-precious stones, and Japanese urushi lacquer, developed in collaboration with visual artist Aline Putot-Toupry, bringing the tactile richness of craft into conversation with sustainability.

"A collection is also a way of telling stories, of expressing my vision. This season, I wanted to talk about nature, and the way contemporary humanity mistreats it"

 Leaves and flowers in fabric

made this sculptural dress. 

Photograph: Jay Zoo

This blend of couture technique with ecological consideration gave the show a quiet radicalism. Couture, after all, has long been associated with luxury’s permanence. Ayissi suggested instead, that impermanence, and the cycle of regeneration, could be equally aspirational.

If the philosophy was cerebral, the clothes themselves were anything but austere. Ayissi is a master of color and silhouette, and Ikorrok unfolded like a living garden, teeming with vitality. Silks, hand-dyed cottons, raffia, and felt appeared in hues as bright as tropical flora: vermillion, fuchsia, emerald, and cobalt. The designs mixed the sharp and architectural with the soft and draped, echoing the organic tension between geometry and growth.

"This collection is also a stylistic exercise in the different ways fashion can evoke nature, both flora and fauna," Ayissi ecplained."Visually, with prints, brocades, embroidery, appliqués and ornamentation, such as the beading of small animals, a technique inspired by traditional Yoruba culture. But also in a more abstract way, by creating garments that are “gentle” on nature, entirely bio-degradable for example, like these garments in French sheep's wool felt.''

Flowers were the most consistent motif, explored with both subtlety and theatricality. One of the show’s most memorable looks transformed the model’s torso into an explosion of vermillion petals, sculpted outward in a dynamic silhouette that blurred the line between garment and sculpture. Elsewhere, delicate white porcelain blooms dotted a tailored pink jacket, balancing softness with structure.

If the philosophy was cerebral, the clothes themselves were anything but austere. Ayissi is a master of color and silhouette, and the collection unfolded like a living garden, teeming with vitality 

A tie-died jumpsuit with 

beaded details that move

with the wearer. 

Photograph: Jay Zoo 

Ayissi also evoked fauna through intricate beadwork. Thousands of multicolored beads cascaded down garments in vertical lines, like swarms of insects caught mid-flight, served as ornamental buttons and closures. 

In one striking ensemble, a tie-dyed jumpsuit with a defined waist shimmered with beaded fringes, the glistening details in constant motion under the lights (see at left). 

Part of the show’s strength lay in its contrasts. Ayissi paired structured jackets with fluid drapery and oversized felt discs as earrings with refined silk slips, creating a dialogue between restraint and exuberance. Gloves, elbow-length and rendered in a kaleidoscope of colors, completed many looks, reinforcing his flair for styling that feels both unexpected and deliberate. 

This play of opposites extended beyond form and into cultural dialogue. Ayissi, born in Cameroon and long based in Paris, has consistently worked to weave African craft traditions into the language of haute couture. Raffia, a material he has made central to his practice, reappeared this season, elevated through his meticulous handling. 

Ayissi, born in Cameroon and long based in Paris, has consistently worked to weave African craft traditions into the language of haute couture.

A dramatic, asymmetrical design 

in orange with raffia fringes. 

Photograph: Jay Zoo 

In Ikorrok, the rustic was never left raw, but instead was sublimated into garments of refinement. This approach underscored Ayissi’s conviction that African textiles and techniques deserve not only preservation but a central place in the canon of high fashion.

What emerged from this collection was not simply an ode to nature but a layered meditation on heritage and modernity. The garments felt alive with cultural memory, Yoruba beading, the Ewondo language, raffia traditions, yet were resolved through the lens of Parisian couture technique. 

The tension between these elements created a powerful synergy, reminding the audience that couture is at its best when it is not static but evolving, absorbing influences, and reshaping traditions.

The show was not without its moments of theatrical flourish with large, floral constructions and embellished gowns. The clarity of Ayissi’s vision was apparent in his strongest pieces, where sharp tailoring was softened by delicate ornament or where natural textures were elevated to elegance, which felt both fresh and intentional.

The garments felt alive with cultural memory, Yoruba beading, the Ewondo language, raffia traditions, yet were resolved through the lens of Parisian couture technique

A richly tie-died design warm colours.

Photograph: Jay Zoo

In naming the collection after a fallow garden, Ayissi invited his audience to rethink not only fashion’s relationship with nature but also its relationship with time.

 Fallow ground is not wasted ground; it is ground in waiting, a place of renewal. His collection suggested that couture, too, can pause from its cycles of spectacle and reinvention to reflect, regenerate, and grow in a different way. 

Once again, Ayissi made a compelling case for the presence of African craft in the heart of Paris couture, not as a novelty but as a vital force reshaping the language of luxury. The new collection was a reminder that beauty and responsibility, heritage and innovation, can sit side by side. In the sunlit salons, as the last model left the runway, it was difficult not to feel that Ayissi had done more than present a collection. He had planted a seed for a new fashion direction.

Scroll down to see more highlights from Imane Ayissi's AW25/26 collection in Paris

Imane Ayissi, Ikorrok, Autumn -Winter 2025/2026. Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Jay Zoo 

Imane Ayissi, Ikorrok, Autumn -Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Jay Zoo

Imane Ayissi, Ikorrok, Autumn -Winter 2025/2026,  Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn

Imane Ayissi, Ikorrok, Autumn -Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Jay Zoo

Imane Ayissi, Ikorrok, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn 

Imane Ayissi, Ikorrok, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026. Paris Haute Couture. Photograph Jay Zoo

Imane Ayissi, Ikorrok, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026. Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn

Imane Ayissi,Ikorrok, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph Jay Zoo

Imane Ayissi,Ikorrok, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph Andrea Heinsohn

Imane Ayissi,Ikorrok, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph Jay Zoo

Imane Ayissi,Ikorrok, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph Andrea Heinsohn

Imane Ayissi,Ikorrok, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph Jay Zoo

Imane Ayissi,Ikorrok, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph Andrea Heinsohn

Imane Ayissi,Ikorrok, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph Andrea Heinsohn

Imane Ayissi,Ikorrok, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph Jay Zoo

Imane Ayissi,Ikorrok, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph Jay Zoo

Imane Ayissi,Ikorrok, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph Jay Zoo

Imane Ayissi,Ikorrok, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph Andrea Heinsohn

Imane Ayissi,Ikorrok, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph Andrea Heinsohn

Imane Ayissi,Ikorrok, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph Andrea Heinsohn

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