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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Lifestyle
Hannah Marriott

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

Six smiling Montessori teachers in colorful tops, each posed indoors in a grid
Teachers at the Brooklyn school went viral after a Redditor questioned its policy that staff wear pleated uniforms. Photograph: Ms Lam Montessori

“Does anyone know what the deal is Ms Lam Montessori … and why all their employees wear Issey Miyake … every day … I’m confused and a bit jealous,” asked one commenter on the Williamsburg subreddit last week, sparking a unexpected viral moment for a chain of Brooklyn Montessori preschools.

The poster was responding to photos on the Montessori’s website of the teachers’ uniforms: raspberry, cobalt and apple green dresses in plissé fabric. They appeared to be from the Pleats Please line by Japanese designer Issey Miyake. It seemed an avant-garde choice for staff posing in front of the abachi and blond wood toys of their preschool classroom.

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