A bag can take on a fixed shape. At Issey Miyake, it more readily becomes a textile concept: something that folds, unfolds, and adapts to movement rather than constraining it. With JABARA, a new series from GOOD GOODS ISSEY MIYAKE available starting in April, the accessory revisits one of the Japanese brand’s most enduring obsessions: bringing a design’s function to life.
The name says it all. In Japanese, “Jabara” refers to an accordion-like structure—a series of folds that can open and close depending on the required volume. The collection embodies this concept through pleated gussets that contract when the bag is lightly loaded and expand when needed. Function, therefore, is not merely added to the design; it is the very reason for it. The shoulder bag measures 22 cm by 15 cm. The backpack measures 49 cm by 35 cm. Two sizes, two rhythms: one for immediate essentials, the other for longer trips.
GOOD GOODS ISSEY MIYAKE was launched in 2018 as a project dedicated to accessories, with a seemingly simple question: What makes a good object truly good? The brand’s official website defines the project as an exploration of accessories developed from experimental concepts, in dialogue with changes in society and lifestyles. This phrasing, which is often abstract when used in the context of fashion, finds a concrete expression here. JABARA addresses a very clear contemporary reality: we carry fewer items than before, and then suddenly far too many. A laptop, a notebook, headphones, a power bank, a light jacket—sometimes nothing more than a phone and keys. The bag must adapt to this fluctuation.
The accordion-like structure allows JABARA to maintain a clean silhouette, even as its volume changes. This is an important detail in the world of Issey Miyake, where a pleat is never merely decorative. Since its research into pleated garments, the house has developed a language centered on the relationship between surface, movement, and the body. In JABARA, this language moves beyond clothing to the object itself. The pleat becomes a reservoir of space. It does not merely signify an aesthetic; it creates functionality.
This approach sets GOOD GOODS ISSEY MIYAKE apart from much of the accessories market, which is often divided into two camps: the status bag, which emphasizes silhouette over functionality, and the technical bag, which prioritizes multiple functions at the risk of making the design bulky. JABARA chooses a third path, closer to that of a discreet tool. The design remains graphic, but it is based on a clear material principle. Perhaps this is where the project’s coherence lies: an everyday object, conceived not as a symbol of status, but as a small piece of architecture for mobility.
The launch comes at a time when Issey Miyake accessories continue to occupy a unique position at the intersection of industrial design, textiles, and fashion. The GOOD GOODS ISSEY MIYAKE boutique, which opened in Tokyo’s Daikanyama neighborhood in 2018, had already established this focus on accessories within a minimalist space designed to highlight the shapes and colors of the bags. JABARA builds on this concept: reducing the design vocabulary while expanding the possibilities.
The collection will be available at the ISSEY MIYAKE / PARIS boutique, located at 28 rue François-Ier, as well as on the brand’s European website. The shoulder bag is priced at 490 euros, and the backpack at 820 euros. These prices are there, but they are not the point. The real point lies elsewhere: in this very Japanese way of thinking that a good object must not only be beautiful or merely useful, but must also find a form that is just right to accompany the variations of everyday life without commenting on them.
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