Satoshi Kondo, 36, Issey Miyake
Kondo is no stranger to the Japanese fashion house. The Ueda College of Fashion graduate first joined its ranks in 2007, working directly with founder Miyake himself as a member of the Pleats Please Issey Miyake design team, and eventually became the brand’s designer.
In 2016, he was announced as the designer of Homme Plisse Issey Miyake, the menswear arm, and was involved in a well-received collaboration with graphic designer Ikko Tanaka. Last September, he took over as creative director from previous head Yoshiyuki Miyamae.
With his years of experience, Kondo is undoubtedly intune with the Issey Miyake DNA, but we love how he went all experimental in his second collection for FW ’20. Titled “Making Speaking, Speaking Making”, it centres on childhood recollections (“the fun and joy of making things with our hands”).
The collection straddles the lines of fashion and art with conjoined pieces and crazy textures. While the Japanese brand is well known for its innovative techniques, Kondo further pushes the envelope by employing decalcomania – a French decorative technique traditionally used in fine art – in the collection’s patternmaking.
The result: A mix of fun designs that retain a distinct Japanese element in the patterns, which were inspired by Japanese onomatopoeic words. For instance, “goshi goshi” refers to the sound and movement of smudging – cue smudge smears of colours on flowy dresses and separates.