Satoshi Kondo’s lastest collection is a homage to the sea
Issey Miyake has an affinity for the natural world, to say the very least. The allure of Satoshi Kondo’s designs rests in their organic sort of ease—their simple interpretation of complex forms of beauty. The palette comes from plantlife; the movement, derived from a breeze. For its Spring/Summer 2022 collection, the Japanese brand leans far into its strengths, delivering a presentation given over to the sea.
It’s a mini vacation, or a seven-minute meditation, or a love letter to underwater: Issey Miyake’s short film, called A Voyage in Descent. Models begin by climbing down a ladder, deep into a pool that’s only implied—animated X’s designate the surface far above. Blue light undulates. The set is stark, comprised mostly of greys and blues and shadow.
The garments are catalogued into several distinct series. SILENCE consists of billowing pieces, hand-dyed hikizome style. It’s a technique that generates slow, gentle streams of color; here, they’re purple, near black, and light green. CARVED features sculptural cotton suits woven with Washi paper, accented with cut-outs on either side of the waist. SWIMMING is characterized by its resort patterns; SWIMMING HUE has rich, solid tones, and lighthearted anemone hats. The LINK RINGS series is perhaps the most quintessentially Issey—totally hand-pleated dresses are segmented into playful rings, which are reminiscent of a perfect ripple.
It’s a lovely collection, embodied well by its accompanying poem. The last couple lines: Mesmerized for the first time in life / Swim and swim, for a moment like this.