Issey Miyake reimagines industrial byproducts for Milan Design Week 2026
At Milan Design Week 2026, Issey Miyake presents ‘The Paper Log: Shell and Core’, an exploratory project conceived by Satoshi Kondo of MIYAKE DESIGN STUDIO and developed by the project team at ISSEY MIYAKE, in collaboration with Spanish architecture office Ensamble Studio. The project centers on the creative reuse of compressed paper rolls, which are the byproduct of the house’s signature garment pleating process. Each 80 cm cylinder, once destined for disposal or recycling, is reimagined as raw material for furniture and sculptural objects. This approach highlights a future where industrial waste serves as a catalyst for new creation.
‘When we first saw the outcome, it immediately resembled a tree log, which is why we’re naming it a paper log. The marbling is like the rings one finds in a tree. Each log is unique depending on the color of the garment we pleated that day, because the color transfers to the sheet due to heat and pressure,’ begins Satoshi Kondo, MIYAKE DESIGN STUDIO, tells designboom as we preview ‘The Paper Log: Shell and Core’ before Milan Design Week 2026.
milan design week 2026 visitors can discover the paper log project at Issey Miyake’s store in Milan
collaborative spirit joins Issey Miyake and Ensamble Studio
The installation, ‘The Paper Log: Shell and Core’, is realized through a harmonious dialogue between the house’s project team and the Spanish architects of Ensamble Studio. The project is divided into two captivating explorations: Shell and Core. While Ensamble Studio treats the paper as a sculptural skin, the in-house team probes the structural depths of the log itself. This collaboration bridges the gap between design and architecture, dissolving rigid boundaries of manufacturing and fostering curiosity that leads to innovative change.
‘The exhibition is about giving different lives or materialities to the same material, but in both explorations, we are trying to keep the memory that is structurally embodied in the paper. When we just unfold it and give it form, it still expresses the spirit of Issey Miyake,’ explains Antón García-Abril, architect of Ensamble Studio.
delicate pleats are crystallized into lasting architectural forms
transformative textures define the paper installation
For the Shell series, Ensamble Studio explores the paper as a solid element, drawing inspiration from the folds of historical sculptures like Michelangelo’s Pietà to understand how texture shapes form. By peeling a layer and applying a hardening agent, the studio crystallizes every delicate wrinkle into a frozen moment of grace. The design acts as a second skin, wrapping a familiar form to grant it a new, lasting presence.
‘Regarding this pleated paper, we were also looking at, for instance, the Pietà and the role of the folds in shaping and forming. We started material research to understand the log – when you peel out the first layer, all the different papers come apart,’ adds Débora Mesa, architect of Ensamble Studio.
behind the scenes of the shell making process
The Core series, developed by the project team at ISSEY MIYAKE, focuses on the log’s structural potential through rigorous experimentation. By soaking the paper in wax, painting it with glue, or binding it into a bundle, the team transforms a thin sliver into a robust furniture prototype like a stool or table. This methodology remains minimal and primitive, allowing the innate beauty of the pleated paper to shine without heavy intervention.
‘We are looking for other ways to work with the log itself, so we soaked it in wax. Usually, one sees paper in forms of sheets but never in slivers and filaments. It does remind us of the fibers of the wood,’ continues Satoshi Kondo.
ensamble studio sculpts the paper shell with hardening agents
The installation serves as a live laboratory during the Design Week, proving that even a delicate byproduct can be preserved into functional art. It is a testing ground for shared values, where experimentation can lead to joyful creations. The dialogue between the collaborators evolves throughout the Issey Miyake store in Milan, inviting the visitor to witness the unique design process.
the paper log acts as a raw material for future furniture
The project is a reflection on a material often overlooked. By focusing reuse on the memory of the paper – the trace of pressure from the pleating process – the studio has crafted a collection that transcends a traditional definition. This transition showcases how a garment acts as a spatial layer, a logic now translated into the domestic sphere through furniture.
‘The work succumbs to this memory, the memory of the material that is embodied like DNA,’ concludes Antón García-Abril to designboom.
the compressed rolls reveal marbling similar to tree rings
a stool prototype from the core series soaked in protective wax
pleated garment from paper sheets using a garment pleating process
layering pleated papers after a garment pleating process
project info:
brand: Issey Miyake | @isseymiyakeofficial
installation: The Paper Log: Shell and Core
collaborator: Ensamble Studio | @anton_ensamble and @debora_ensamble
date: April 21–May 5, 2026
location: ISSEY MIYAKE / MILAN, Via Bagutta 12 Milano
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