IM Men by Issey Miyake, Proposing a New Standard for Technical Menswear

Written by Ali George Hinkins

At the turn of the millennium, Issey Miyake Men, a subline of the Japanese fashion house borrowing its nomenclature from its lead designer, Issey Miyake, led the charge for experimental, yet wearable clothing. This came at a time when designers and brands heavily leaned into futuristic and dystopian clothing, from jackets that converted into hammocks and sleeping bags to coats with integrated breathing apparatus, a reflection of the ongoing geopolitical, economic, and social tensions around the world, from mass displacement and war to recessions. A brooding sense of anxiety and overwhelm spurred designers to design for an uncertain future. 

In the decades since, collectors and enthusiasts of Miyake’s work and design principles have held this era in high regard, specifically the Issey Miyake Men collections from Autumn/Winter ‘00 and ‘04. These collections were designed by the then creative director, Naoki Takizawa, and looked to the theme ‘Travel’. Collectively, they expressed themes of displacement and proposed garment solutions to this, from padded coats that transformed into wearable shelters to modular jackets that could be adapted and tailored to the conditions; think, removing insulating layers to be left with a lightweight nylon windbreaker, offering warmth and windproofness.   

Today, IM Men has taken on a new definition, while still keeping an eye on its roots. Less conceptual, but more wearable. The transformable and brightly coloured garments have been replaced with more innovative, versatile styles that transcend their humble beginnings. The DNA is still there, just expanded and increasingly subtle. It sits firmly in the wider Issey Miyake network at the intersection of elevated, refined, and subtly experimental. 

Expanding on its offering of Issey Miyake, starting with Homme Plissé, This Thing of Ours adds IM Men to its brand curation. While the retailers' roster currently hosts more function-forward brands, IM Men integrates creativity and technology to deliver elevated menswear that seamlessly works with those brands. 

Currently, this consists of six pieces, four apparel items and two accessories, including the Air Jacket and Trousers, the White Shirt Stand Collar, the White Shirt Collared, the Friction Belt, and the Pata Pata Bag. Pleats are used on trousers to accentuate form, while jackets are largely unstructured, allowing a traditionally tailored piece the ability to be worn in multiple settings.