One of the lines that perhaps more than any other manages to bring all fashion enthusiasts together—whether they know a lot about fashion or just a little—is Issey Miyake’s iconic Pleats Please collection. Uninfluenced by trends, minimalist and radical, it’s extremely recognizable yet capable of adapting to everyone’s personality. This is because it is the result of the brand founder’s almost obsessive perfectionism, which has found its expression in what is perhaps the most iconic fabric in the history of fashion. Because it flatters every body type, because it’s instantly recognizable, because it’s a staple yet never boring.
Introduced with its first Spring/Summer 1994 collection as an independent brand, PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE traces its origins to the pleating research developed and presented in 1988 as part of the women’s collection. Starting with the development of fabrics made from original yarns, the brand creates functional garments designed for everyday wear, made possible by a unique pleating technology: the garments are first sewn and then pleated, thus completing their construction.
The pleats are created through a special process: once sewn, the garment is placed between two layers of paper and heat-pressed to set the pleats in the fabric. It is precisely this process that allows the pleats to maintain their structure while also expanding and contracting to follow the body and its movements. Lightweight, easy to wear, and machine-washable, the brand’s garments stand out for their simplicity and practicality; they adapt to the wearer’s body and movements, creating a different silhouette every time.
But the PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE garments are not merely the result of a unique pleating technique. In fact, each design represents a creative interpretation of this technology and reflects ISSEY MIYAKE’s design and production philosophy, with the aim of bringing a sense of joy and freedom to the lives of contemporary people.
@adagoiu One piece, endless styling possibilities. Styling inspiration goes to @lisa.ekenbe@Lisa Ekenberg🍉 ♬ “Hate That I Made You Love Me” (instrumental) – Kylito🫧🩷
And among the entire collection, there’s one timeless piece that keeps popping up on wish lists—and in social media videos. We’re talking about the Madame T stole: a stole you can wear in a thousand different ways. Simply put, it’s a piece of pleated fabric with a hole in the center that can be styled in endless ways—from the most classic to the most experimental, depending on your personal style or the occasion.
There’s no single way to wear it: it can be a stole, a top, something to wrap around the body, or simply a piece to play with to discover a new shape every time. The fabric follows your movements and changes along with you, allowing your personality to shine through and serving as either the centerpiece of your look or a connoisseur’s accessory.
It almost seems counterintuitive to see this timeless piece in my feed today—completely outside the realm of current trends—yet it’s still being praised as a trendy item. This proves that the beauty of a design born of vision and research never goes out of style, and that even today it can be passed down—not only through a book on fashion history but also through a video on social media.
@arianatapsell one top, endless ways #isseymiyake #pleatsplease #outfits ♬ original sound – 𝔗𝔥𝔞𝔩𝔦𝔢 𝔍𝔞𝔠𝔨𝔰𝔬𝔫 ６ৎ – ꨄ.𓏲ᵎᵎֶָ֢ 𝐋𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐞.˖𓍢ִ໋❀
[📸 isseymiyake.com]
