‘Children are naturally drawn to beauty’: the head of the ‘Issey Miyake’ preschool on their pleated uniforms

A chain of Brooklyn Montessori preschools, Ms Lam Montessori, unexpectedly went viral after a commenter on the Williamsburg subreddit expressed confusion and jealousy over the teachers' uniforms. The uniforms, visible in photos on the Montessori's website, consist of raspberry, cobalt, and apple green dresses made from plissé fabric, which appeared to be from the Pleats Please line by Japanese designer Issey Miyake. This avant-garde fashion choice for preschool teachers, posing with traditional wooden toys, garnered significant online attention. The head of school revealed that teachers do indeed wear different Japanese designers, which became a topic of online envy and discussion, highlighting an unusual blend of high fashion and early childhood education. The incident sparked public interest in the school's unique aesthetic and its impact on the educational environment.