“The moment when tension breaks, body and mind set free”
On June 26, IM MEN unveiled its Spring/Summer 2026 collection, “DANCING TEXTURE,” at the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain. The collection has 5 series mimicking the patterns on Kamoda’s ceramic work, with Issey Miyake’s advanced fabric techniques.
Picture Credit: JOAN B MIRVISS
UROKOMON
The UROKOMON series mimics the bold, scale-like patterns of ceramics using the bonding opal process. This technique layers printed fabrics, treats specific areas of the top layer, and then washes it so untreated sections peel away—revealing the printed base beneath for a dynamic, two-layered pattern effect.
Picture Credit: Issey Miyake
GINTO
The Gintō series mimics the metallic sheen and soft-square form of a silver-glazed ceramic bowl using silver foil application. Instead of foiling flat fabric, the foil is applied directly to the folded garment, creating varied foil density that captures the bowl’s subtle shifts in luster.
Picture Credit: Issey Miyake
KAIYU
The KAIYU series mimics the pale celadon glaze and earthy clay contrast of plant-ash–glazed ceramics using layered pigment printing. Garments are printed flat in halves with multiple screens to build depth, adding glossy binder for glazed areas and matte powder pigments for raw clay textures.
Picture Credit: Issey Miyake
ENGRAVE
The ENGRAVE series mimics the carved wave patterns of ceramics using jacquard weaving with multicolored threads and heat-shrinking stretch yarn.
This technique weaves the motif flat, then shrinks select areas with heat to create sharp-edged, three-dimensional relief patterns.
Picture Credit: Issey Miyake
EARTH
The EARTH series mimics the matte vermilion and exposed clay wave patterns of ceramic jars using multi-yarn weaving.Five vermilion weft threads (including metallic boucle) and black–white warp threads create the texture, while wave-inspired cuts and zippers shape the garment’s silhouette.[1]
Picture Credit: Issey Miyake
Tsukumogami – Forgotten Objects Gaining Life
The show began with playful choreography designed to evoke the sensation that Kamoda’s ceramics had leapt from the display case into life — an image reminiscent of Tsukumogami in Japanese folklore.
In Japanese folklore, an object that has been used or left untouched for a very long time may acquire a spirit and transform into a monster — the Tsukumogami. Issey Miyake likely drew its inspiration from this concept, particularly from the works of Toriyama Sekien, a Japanese master of monster illustration.
Sekien’s brushwork for clothing is decisive and fluid — qualities that align closely with Issey Miyake’s “a piece of cloth” philosophy. This philosophy treats fabric as a living entity: avoiding excessive cutting or patchwork, relying instead on folding to shape garments. In doing so, the integrity of the cloth remains intact — metaphorically, the fabric is never “killed,” making it possible for the material to “come alive.”
Sanmi Senior is said to have once been an shamisen that, after years of neglect, absorbed its owner’s emotions in melody until it transformed into human form. Appearing as a white-haired elder carrying a shamisen.
Seto-ware general was a large ceramic vessel made in Seto, one of Japan’s most famous pottery regions. After many years of use the vessel gained a spirit and transformed into the form of an armored samurai general.
One of the most direct references appears in a look featuring a cup balanced on the head, resembling the Tsukumogami Chokoborou. Originally a small sake cup (choko), Chokoborou transforms into a Tsukumogami after years of neglect.
Conclusion
In this way, the SS26 DANCING TEXTURE collection is a conversation between Shoji Kamoda’s ceramics, Japanese folklore, and Issey Miyake’s enduring design philosophy. The garments do not merely imitate the textures of pottery; they inhabit the same animating spirit as Tsukumogami, objects awakening after years of silent existence. Through minimal cutting and sculptural folding, Miyake preserves the integrity of the cloth, allowing it to “breathe” and move as if it had a will of its own. It is this seamless blending of craft, story, and motion that turns fabric into a living entity on the runway.
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