Inspirations

Pleated effect

Associated with Mariano Fortuny, pleating has always captivated the worlds of fashion, art, and design with its plays of light and with the dynamic movement of its folds. Reinterpreted with architectural sensitivity by Issey Miyake, it remains a source of inspiration, enhancing contemporary surfaces with evocative visual effects.
Glamora Diary Inspirations Mariano Fortuny. Detail of Delphos Dress (pleated silk taffeta, after 1909) © paolo utimpergher
In 1909, Fortuny changed the world of fashion with Delphos: a finely pleated silk dress which flowed elegantly on the body.
A tribute to Greek art and inspired by the tunics of the Korai in the Parthenon, Delphos had a timeless style, pre-dating the idea of comfort that would eventually characterise the 20th century. The eclectic stylist patented this unique pleating method, calling it “Genre d‘étoffe plissée-ondulée”, which remains a mystery to this day.
Glamora Diary Inspirations Mariano Fortuny
Mariano Fortuny Madrazo, Self-portrait c. 1935, gelatin dry plate © Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia – Archivio Museo Fortuny
Glamora Diary Inspirations Mariano Fortuny
Mariano Fortuny Madrazo, Palazzo Pesaro Orfei. Interior View on the first floor c. 1925, gelatin dry plate © Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia – Archivio Museo Fortuny
Reinterpreted with a minimalist-architectural look, pleating has become the distinctive characteristic of Issey Miyake. In 1988 he introduced the ‘Pleats Please’ line, which then became a brand unto itself with the launch of the 1994 Spring/Summer collection, transforming a two-dimensional fabric into a three-dimensional creation. An example of how fashion and art often serve as trailblazers for design. Pleating’s great comeback can be seen in the new 2020 Spring/Summer designs by Balmain, Alexander McQueen, and Balenciaga.
The iridescent and dynamic effects of pleats have inspired several wallcoverings in the Creative Collection Chapter IX and X by Glamora, the trompe l’oeil surfaces of which are animated by decorative themes that vary in terms of style and subject.
Mariano Fortuny Madrazo, Model wearing a Peplos Dress c. 1920, gelatin dry plate © Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia – Archivio Museo Fortuny
Mariano Fortuny Madrazo, Model wearing a Peplos Dress c. 1920, gelatin dry plate © Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia – Archivio Museo Fortuny
Fortuny Manufacture, Delphos Dress (pleated silk taffeta, after 1909) © paolo utimpergher
Pliplat moves the silk-touch texture with large folds and oversized ginkgo biloba leaves, while Shang features an oriental-inspired design that, in the minutia of the details and in the monochromatic chiaroscuro effect, recalls the decorations of Chinese porcelain. Origami reconnects to the Japanese tradition of paper folding, featuring the large and dynamic graphics which are so dear to Issey Miyake, and Universo evokes the vertical folds of Greek tunics, which in turn recalled the grooves of classical columns. In a continuous exchange of references between past and present.
Glamora Diary Inspirations Mariano Fortuny