Issey Miyake Pleats Please Thicker Bottom 2

Horizontal pleating on a trouser is genuinely rare, and the reason is that it does the opposite of what trousers usually want. Vertical pleats lengthen the leg by running with it. Horizontal ones band it, so the leg reads as a stacked series of widths rather than a single line, and the whole garment becomes about volume rather than height. Cropping it and cutting it oversized commits to that fully: this is a trouser that is deliberately wide and deliberately short, with a pleat direction that emphasises both. On the heavier cloth the bands hold their shape rather than collapsing. It is the most unusual trouser in the line and the one that most rewards knowing what it is doing.

Horizontal pleating on a trouser is a bold decision and almost nobody makes it. The heavier cloth is what keeps the bands defined.

Running a signature technique in the direction it is not supposed to go is characteristic of Issey Miyake's studio.

100% polyester, made in Japan, in black. Horizontally pleated on a thicker cloth, cropped, with an oversized silhouette, an elasticated waistband, and side pockets.

Oversized and cropped, on an elasticated waist. The horizontal pleating means it opens outward rather than downward as it is worn, so it is wider in motion than at rest. The crop puts the hem well above the shoe.

Deliberate width and a short hem want a close top half and a shoe with some presence, since the ankle is fully on show. This is not a trouser to try to make look narrow.

The pleats are heat-set into the polyester and are permanent, so it washes without losing them. 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 along the direction of the pleats. Our fabric care guide covers polyester and technical cloth.

The Thicker Bottoms 2 Pants and the Thicker Bottoms 2 Pant share the model name and are different garments. The Grainy Colors Skirt is horizontal pleating on a skirt. Everything we carry from Issey Miyake is listed together.