Making ceramics dynamic through the prism of fashion and dance was the vibe at IM Men this morning. The collection was inspired by the 20th century ceramic artist Shoji Kamoda, who pushed new forms and finishes in the tradition. The show opened with dancers choreographed by Delphine Gaborit throwing shapes in front of suspended bolts of cloth printed with Kamoda-designed patterns. Then they settled in front of those bolts, the pattern on their outfits aligning with the pattern behind them.
The collection that started coming out once the dancing had stopped played fluid drapiness against defined sculptural form, and spanned traditionalism to futurism via workwear and tailoring. Look 17 was a full-plate encapsulation of the conceit of the show, layering what resembled lino print of a tree-trunk section on both the rigid surface of a fixed disc and the flowing material of shorts below it.
Flowing gray and black denim looks were seamed with stock market jitters seaming that peaked and troughed across the garments. A zippered fluoro green casual suit was surfaced with the parched, flaked finish of dehydrated clay. Cotton shirts and pants came texturized with irregular pleating, into which in some cases there were integrated contrasting colors. Jackets and ponchos in terracotta wear seamed with off-white lined meanderings which were lifted from the Kamoda archive.
The sectioned extended lenses of ultrawide sunglasses were reflected in the tiered sections of the toe straps in the collection’s flip-flop footwear, the latest appearance of a shoe type that is rarely seen on the runway but this season has barely been off it. The other footwear news came courtesy of Asics, the Japanese sneaker specialist that unveiled a new collaboration with the Issey Miyake label at this colorful and fun show.
