ISSEY MIYAKE S/S 2018 Window Installation

we+ designed a window installation for ISSEY MIYAKE SPRING SUMMER 2018 displayed in Tokyo’s Matsuya Ginza department store, based on the collection’s inspiration source: the rich nature of Iceland. The installation featured seventy Steam Stretch* textile strips suspended in colors selected from a printed series of the Icelandic landscape. A timed motor controlled the fabric to vertically expand and contract, sometimes in unison, sometimes randomly, creating an organic motion akin to living creatures breathing in a forest. By utilizing Steam Stretch*, the installation highlights the flexible properties and organic movements of the multi-dimensional textile, created by a rigorous production process. By deliberately extracting fluctuations such as natural phenomena from materials that are inclined for mass production, we+ intends to expand the possibilities of those materials by exploring new ways to engage with the natural environment in today’s human-centric modern society. *Steam Stretch is a technique by which creases are woven into A Piece Of Cloth using heat reactive thread which shrinks when steam is applied to the garment.