Mark Borthwick Brings in a New Light to Life in HOMME PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE’s New Tokyo Exhibition

Fashion has always chased light. Whether through photography, film or fabric, it’s often the thing that transforms a garment from an object into a feeling. With Mark Borthwick: Something Out of Nothing Into Everything, HOMME PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE explores exactly that—inviting visitors into an exhibition where clothing, photography and light exist in constant conversation. Opening on 1 July 2026 at ISSEY MIYAKE GINZA | CUBE in Tokyo and running until 28 July, the exhibition presents the brand’s Autumn/Winter 2026/27 collection, In a New Light, through the unmistakable lens of British photographer Mark Borthwick.

Rather than documenting the collection, Borthwick reinterprets it. His photographs and film move beyond traditional fashion imagery, capturing the quiet moments that often disappear in between—the way pleats catch shifting sunlight, translucent layers move with the wind, or shadows emerge simply through the act of wearing a garment. It’s a meditation on movement, time and texture as much as it is on clothing itself. The exhibition extends Borthwick’s visual language into the physical space. Designed under his creative direction, the installation mirrors the atmosphere of his work, allowing visitors to step inside a world built on softness, spontaneity and observation. Alongside a series of photographs, a new film explores the movement of the collection under changing light, while a specially produced zine edited and designed by Borthwick himself—features handwritten poetry and visual notes from the project. A recreation of the photographer’s workspace further blurs the line between exhibition and studio, offering an intimate glimpse into his creative process. The collaboration feels particularly fitting given the concept behind HOMME PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE’s Autumn/ Winter 2026/27 collection. In a New Light examines what happens when light interacts with pleated garments, translating fleeting reflections and shadows into silhouettes, textures and everyday clothing. Rooted equally in craftsmanship and technology, the collection transforms ordinary optical phenomena into wearable design, revealing new dimensions through movement.

It’s an approach that naturally aligns with Borthwick’s practice. Across decades, the British photographer has become known for creating images that feel instinctive rather than staged, dissolving the boundaries between fashion, documentary and fine art. His signature use of natural light, saturated color, light leaks and soft focus has shaped generations of fashion photography, with influential work spanning publications such as i-D, The Face and Purple. Beginning his career as a makeup artist before relocating from London to Paris in the 1980s, Borthwick developed a visual language centered on intimacy, imperfection and chance qualities that continue to define his work today. With something out of nothing into everything , those same ideas find a new home inside HOMME PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE’s latest collection. Rather than simply presenting clothes, the exhibition asks visitors to slow down and notice the subtle interactions between light, movement and material—reminding us that sometimes the most powerful moments in fashion happen almost by accident.