Issey Miyake Pleats Please Light Wave Shirt

A tuck is not a pleat. A pleat is a fold held permanently in the cloth; a tuck is a fold caught into a seam at one end and left free at the other, so it opens as the garment moves and closes as it settles. Building a shirt around tucks rather than pure pleating means the surface is not static: it releases and gathers with every step, and the light running across it travels in waves rather than sitting in fixed bands. That is the whole design, and it is why this garment looks ordinary hanging and considerably better in motion. Long sleeves carry the effect down the arms so the movement is continuous around the body rather than confined to the front.

A tuck design does something a pleat cannot, and this is the piece in the line that is most obviously alive when the wearer is.

The distinction between a fold that is set and a fold that is free is exactly the sort of technical question the Issey Miyake studio builds garments around.

100% polyester, made in Japan, in black. Long-sleeved, with a tuck design.

The tucks release as the garment moves, so it sits closer at rest and opens in motion. Expect more room than the hanging garment suggests.

It needs room to move, so nothing tight over it. Black and textural, it goes with anything plain and rewards being the piece people see you walking in.

Wash at 30°C or below in a laundry net on a short cycle, or press gently by hand, and never tumble dry, iron, steam, or dry clean. Store it rolled rather than hung. Our fabric care guide covers polyester and technical cloth.

The Leaf Pleats Dress is also designed around movement, and the Mushroom Knit Top has a sleeve that behaves unusually. Everything we carry from Issey Miyake is listed together.