The Folding Effect?: Issey Miyake

Question, is the origami craze back or has it always been around? Even so, no matter what, I like it! It's one of the ways I get my ideas.

This is the case for Issey Miyake's new collection. Known for his label "Pleats Please" where most of his garments are pleated, he comes back into the season with an 'origami' inspired outfit from his new line, "132 5".

According to Ecouterre,:


"The clothing is first designed using a program that generates 3D shapes from a single sheet of paper."



"132 5", derives from Miyake’s Reality Lab. A software program is used to design the clothing where 3D is produced from a single flat sheet of paper.

What is behind the number, "132 5"? 


“1″ is for the single piece of cloth used to make each item, 
“3″ represents the 3D shape the garment takes,
“2″ shows that the garment will be flattened in a 2D form
The single space (it is literately added, not a typing mistake) represents "the time between the completion of the folded form and the moment someone puts it on" (Ecouterre)
Lastly, “5″ is a symbol of the concept’s multiple mathematical combinations.


Interesting how the creases gives out a crisp yet clean outline of the dress. This will sure make packing a lot easier!


More on: http://www.ecouterre.com/issey-miyake-unfolds-origami-inspired-132-5-eco-fashion-collection/

Antwerp...at last!

Before my trip to London, a friend of mine took me around Antwerp. It was a lot better than I expected!

First, I managed to actually shop for some clothes (don't get me wrong, I like Paris but just the sights, sounds and small little things) as I could fit into the stuff they sold.

I saw a could of brands I liked such as 'All Saints' (UK), Yohji Yamamoto (Japan), Fillipa K (Sweden...I think!)... Other than shopping, I went to the 'Fashion Museum' to see an exhibition called 'Paper Fashion' where designers created accessories and garments out of paper. It was great... Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take pictures...however, I found a link which gives some details of the exhibition and will post three pictures from the site here as a form of a preview...

First sight of Antwerp's shopping district...


Front of a shopping mall...


Inside that shopping mall...doesn't this looks a little like a martini glass? It is a cafe on the top!


I had to take a picture of this as I loved the colour scheme on this window display!


The rooftop of the 'Fashion Museum' (MoMu)...it was such a beautiful day!


The few exhibits from 'Paper Fashion'. Here is the source for 'Paper Fashion' in details (I love the pictures taken...exactly what I saw!): http://soldiersangel.wordpress.com/2009/03/14/paperfashion-momu/. (Important! There are some copyright distribution for these photographs from the original author. Read here for more infomation: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/de/deed.en_GB)



This is the front of Yohji Yamamoto...a quick photo shot before the shop assistant noticed me... There is a back door that links to the Fashion Museum though the public aren't allowed to go through that door.

This will be one of the places I would go again in the future! Now I know why my friend went there several times!