On 17 January, Homme Plissé Issey Miyake held a presentation titled “Playground”, produced by esteemed choreographer Daniel Ezralow. To express it as an interesting performance is, well, an understatement. To say the least, it was a 19-odd minute sartorial spectacle at Centre Pompidou in Paris.

While Homme Plissé, a diffusion line by Issey Miyake, had some of the performers don pieces from its Fall 2019 collection, the focus of that night spanned beyond that.

Amidst the evolving standards for menswear, there is one amongst many demands that men in the style-conscious demographic have — that is, the demand for low-maintenance fashion. Homme Plissé realises this, and it’s knocking it right out of the park.

“Playground”

Starting off in a dimly lit setting, the audience first saw men in white sprinting across the stage to get dressed. Gradually, the scene lit up with models taking centre stage, switching jackets with one another, exemplifying the modularity of Homme Plissé’s design. All of their clothes could harmonise in any fashion, in a virtually infinite number of combinations.

Soon, the stage became a delightful cacophony, with gymnasts walking on tightropes and the models striding in chaotic formation, accompanied by boisterous instrumental music. The highlight of the show was when some models swung on the rings in synchronised movement, simulating a pendulum model.

“Playground” entertained the idea of revisiting familiar concepts, such as combining outfits to suit multitudes of occasions with their unique pleating techniques. The result: An ideal scenario where wearing versatile wardrobe pieces can be an enjoyable experience altogether.

There was no better way to bring its message across: Homme Plissé is a place where every body becomes everybody, and where the re-creation of fashion becomes a recreation. To the trained eye, it could be said that childhood memories were also rekindled in Homme Plissé’s playground.

Effortless and efficient

In essence, this is what the brand’s presentation is all about. After all, in a consumer-centric fashion market, a variety of options already exists to the bold, modest and everyone in between.

Brands are also investing in specialised markets, like Loewe paying attention to its outdoor-loving customers with the Eye/Loewe/Nature line, and Versus by Versace that targets the growing millennial demographic.

The one concept left largely unchartered in high fashion is one that proposes effortless dressing — an astute overview of Homme Plissé’s recent SS19 collection will reveal how the brand aligns with this motivation.

Continuing in the “Primitive” line, Homme Plissé pays its longstanding homage to Japanese craftsmanship. It featured A-Poc denim with prints inspired by ancient body painting on jacquard fabrics, as well as light cotton thread t-shirts weaved with washi paper. More importantly, its textiles are wrinkle resistant, quick-to-dry and also pleated uniformly to prevent the garments from clinging to the skin.

Simply put, Hommé Plissé’s clothes are a triple threat (or thread, if you will) in their own right: Lightweight, comfortable to wear and, most of all, easy to care for.

The brand has understated but captivating prints, and soft, yet sturdy fabrics. It creates pieces that are low maintenance, yet impeccably proper for the modern man to wear on any occasion. This is its design ethos, and it is invitingly paradoxical.

Perhaps, what Issey Miyake is going for with this masculine diffusion line, is to reveal a large demographic not many would expect to exist. One thing is for sure, though. Easy and comfortable fashion are the buzzwords gaining traction in the menswear industry, and Homme Plissé is at the forefront of this wave.