Launched in 2021, IM MEN, a menswear brand, reinterprets Issey Miyake's philosophy of “a piece of cloth” through the lens of the male body. Through an organically integrated collective versed in both design and engineering, the design team seeks to create new possibilities for clothesmaking.
The inspiration for the Spring Summer 2026 collection, “DANCING TEXTURE,” comes from Japanese ceramic artist Shoji Kamoda (1933–1983). Guided by Komada's unwavering pursuit of a personal mode of expression, free from tradition and fixed conventions, the IM MEN team visited existing works by Kamoda across various locations in Japan and produced evolving prototypes in an effort to translate the textures of his pottery into fabric.
This exhibition presents IM MEN garments alongside several works by Shoji Kamoda from the collection of the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, as well as video documentation tracing the places and people connected to his life. While introducing a new creative approach that transposes Kamoda's sensibility onto “a piece of cloth,” the exhibition reveals how the sensibilities of the both parties intersected and interacted with one another.
Title: 1st Collection Gallery 2026–2027: Special Exhibition “Clay and Cloth: Shoji Kamoda and IM MEN”
Period: Saturday, March 28 - Sunday, June 21
Venue: The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto (1F Lobby)
Organized by MIYAKE DESIGN STUDIO
Co-organized by The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
Supported by ISSEY MIYAKE INC.
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