The collection’s title, “FORMLESS FORM,” reveals its meaning not loudly, but slowly. At its heart, “FORMLESS FORM” asks a deceptively simple question: can the fleeting human impulse to “straighten up” – that inner moment of renewal, clarity, or awe – be translated into cloth? IM MEN’s answer is neither rigid tailoring nor overt structure, but an exploration of form as an internal state rather than an imposed outline. Here, formality is redefined as an attitude: quiet confidence born from freedom, not constraint.
Throughout the collection, shape is treated as a suggestion rather than a rule. Garments peel away traditional hierarchies of surface and structure, revealing a deeper intention beneath. This philosophy is embodied through textiles that are not only innovative, but deeply expressive.
The CLAY series sets the tone with a textile that feels almost alchemical – combining flat planes and heat-contracting rib knits within a single cloth. The result is sculptural yet supple, offering silhouettes that morph with the body while remaining comfortable and versatile enough for both everyday wear and refined occasions.
In DAWN, outerwear captures the fleeting beauty of shifting skies. Artisanal three-color gradation dyeing lends each piece a hand-crafted individuality, while stole-like layered fronts can be crossed, folded, or worn open, allowing the wearer to determine their own balance between structure and ease.
Wool, a staple of winter dressing, is reimagined through several lenses. GRADATION WOOL features individually dyed fabric rolls, ensuring that no two garments are alike. Cropped jackets, convertible jumpsuits, and wide-leg trousers with cummerbund-style belts bring understated elegance with subtle drama. SELVEDGE WOOL, produced in Bishu, highlights the beauty of craftsmanship: the “IM MEN” name woven directly into the selvedge, square-fold constructions encouraging organic movement rather than fixed lines.
The OVERLAP coat blurs boundaries between garment types – part coat, part poncho – thanks to undoable cuffs and liftable epaulettes that reshape the silhouette at will. Made from a washed cotton-nylon blend, it pairs functionality with tactile softness. Similarly, FRONT BACK explores reversibility, juxtaposing matte and satin wool surfaces, with removable sleeves transforming coats into vests, hoods, or stoles.
Volume becomes poetry in RAFT, where padded outerwear is quilted from matte fabric and insulated with recycled polyester cord. The sculptural forms trap air for warmth while maintaining a lightness that feels modern and intentional. Tradition, meanwhile, finds a contemporary voice in KASURI, where Japanese weaving techniques using multi-dyed yarns create linear, human-touched patterns. Cut from single rectangular cloths, these pieces drape generously, with adjustable buttons allowing jackets and trousers to morph into hoods or stoles.
Accessories extend the dialogue between utility and expression. LEATHER PLEATS bags juxtapose sharp lines with supple movement, designed to age gracefully with wear. The playful yet thoughtful TO GO series transforms the humble coffee cup silhouette into a leather object, underscoring IM MEN’s fascination with elevating the everyday through material intelligence.
Ultimately, “FORMLESS FORM” is not about making a visual declaration – it’s about presence. In a season crowded with spectacle, Issey Miyake’s IM MEN line offers something rarer: garments that feel liberated yet composed, experimental yet deeply wearable. Rather than imposing shape, the collection invites the wearer to inhabit it, to find their own sense of balance and inner formality. It is fashion that doesn’t shout, but lingers – quietly reminding us that true structure begins within.
