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Ms. Lam Montessori in Brooklyn confirmed that a viral staff photo showed real teachers wearing pleated uniforms, but said the clothes are not Issey Miyake. The school identified the garments as coming from Taiwanese label Takashi Yamasaki, chosen, it said, for practical qualities including washability, durability and flexibility.
Ms. Lam Montessori, a Mandarin-immersion school with three Brooklyn locations, said its teachers’ pleated uniforms are not Issey Miyake after a staff photo prompted online speculation that they were wearing the designer’s Pleats Please clothing. The school said the garments come from Taiwanese label Takashi Yamasaki, which it described as offering a similar look at a more affordable price.
The question spread after a post on the Williamsburg subreddit, titled “Issey Miyake Kindergarten?”, drew attention to a photograph of the school’s staff. The image circulated on social media, and viewers debated whether the teachers were wearing Pleats Please or whether the picture might have been generated with artificial intelligence. Ms. Lam Montessori responded on Instagram, saying the staff members were real and identifying the clothing as a different brand.
The school’s explanation, quoted in the original report, described the garments as coming from “a different Japanese brand with a similar look at a more affordable price.” The report identifies the label as Takashi Yamasaki and describes it as Taiwanese. The available material does not resolve that inconsistency in the school’s description of the brand’s national origin.
The source report says Takashi Yamasaki sells pleated styles including dresses, pants and short-sleeved tops. It gives prices of 1,273 to 4,777 Taiwanese dollars, or about $40 to $150, while saying Pleats Please pieces commonly cost around $400. Those figures are the report’s price comparisons, not confirmation of the exact items or prices worn by the teachers.
The story illustrates how a staff uniform can become a fashion talking point when its silhouette resembles a well-known designer line. The school’s clarification shifts the focus from designer attribution to the garments’ stated use: clothes selected for teachers’ working days, rather than a confirmed Issey Miyake affiliation.
For families and staff, the distinction matters because a viral image can quickly generate claims about a school’s choices that the image alone cannot establish. The school’s account provides a direct explanation, while the source report offers a price comparison that may help readers understand why the look attracted attention. Neither establishes the full cost of the school’s uniform program or whether every teacher wears the same items.
Ms. Lam Montessori said the pleats suit teaching because they are machine-washable, resist wrinkles and are durable. Those are the school’s stated reasons for the clothing choice; the source material does not independently test the garments or establish how they perform in classrooms.
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From Pleats Please to Schoolwear
Issey Miyake’s Pleats Please line is known for permanently pleated clothing. The source report compares the uniforms’ appearance to that line, but the resemblance does not mean the garments were designed or made by Miyake’s company. The school’s Instagram response explicitly rejected that attribution.
The report says the staff photo first drew attention in a Williamsburg subreddit thread before spreading to Twitter. Online discussion included both speculation about the brand and questions about whether the photograph was authentic. The school addressed both points in its response, saying the teachers were real people and naming a different source for the clothing.
According to the report, the school linked the pleated garments to practical considerations: movement, easy care, durability and the ability to layer for different temperatures. This offers limited context for the uniform choice without establishing that the school adopted a formal uniform policy or that all staff wear identical outfits.
“a different Japanese brand with a similar look at a more affordable price”
— Ms. Lam Montessori, in an Instagram story quoted by Highsnobiety
Brand Details Still Need Clarification
The school’s quoted description calls the label Japanese, while Highsnobiety identifies Takashi Yamasaki as a Taiwanese label. The source material does not explain the difference, and it does not include a direct statement from the brand about its origin or its relationship, if any, to Issey Miyake. The school’s central clarification remains that the uniforms are not Issey Miyake garments.
The available report also does not identify the exact garments worn in the staff photo, say how many staff members wear them, or provide the school’s total uniform budget. Its price ranges describe items on the label’s website and typical Pleats Please pricing as presented by the report, not a verified purchase record for Ms. Lam Montessori. No evidence in the supplied material establishes that Issey Miyake designed, produced or endorsed the uniforms.
No Further School Details Reported
The school’s Instagram response is the latest confirmed development in the supplied report. No further announcement, interview or follow-up from Ms. Lam Montessori or Takashi Yamasaki is included, and the report does not give a date for any additional statement. Further clarity on the brand’s origin and the specific items would require information from the school or label; until then, the confirmed point is that the school says its teachers’ garments are not Issey Miyake.
Key Questions
Did Issey Miyake design the teachers’ uniforms?
No, according to Ms. Lam Montessori. The school said the pleated garments are from another label, not Issey Miyake’s Pleats Please line.
What brand does the source report identify?
Highsnobiety identifies the label as Takashi Yamasaki. The school’s quoted description calls it a Japanese brand, while the report describes it as Taiwanese; the supplied material does not explain the discrepancy.
Why does the school say it chose pleated clothing?
The school’s explanation, as reported, points to flexibility, machine-washability, wrinkle resistance and durability, along with layering for different climates.
How much do the clothes cost?
Highsnobiety gives a range of 1,273 to 4,777 Taiwanese dollars, or roughly $40 to $150, for Takashi Yamasaki pieces. It does not confirm the price paid for the school’s uniforms.
Source: rss
