Issey Miyake and Ensamble Studio Collaborate on Paper Log Exhibition for Fuorisalone 2026

Satoshi Kondo, a director at Issey Miyake's Miyake Design Studio, has initiated a collaboration with Madrid-based Ensamble Studio architects Antón García-Abril and Débora Mesa. The project centers on transforming Paper Logs—compressed rolls of pleated paper that are industrial byproducts from Issey Miyake's clothing production—into design objects. Each Paper Log is unique, absorbing pigments from garments during the pleating process. Kondo's team has experimented with cutting tools and binders to create prototypes with a stone-like consistency, exploring the material's potential as furniture components. Ensamble Studio has focused on the pleated paper in its unfolded state, creating sculptural forms that incorporate everyday objects like lamps and chairs, drawing visual references from Renaissance and Baroque art, including Michelangelo's Pietà and Gian Lorenzo Bernini's Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. The collaboration will be presented in the exhibition 'The Paper Log: Shell and Core' at Via Bagutta, 12 during Fuorisalone 2026, from April 21 to May 5. The exhibition showcases prototypes that represent the 'core' (Paper Logs) and 'shell' (unfolded pleated paper), emphasizing material memory and the preservation of Issey Miyake's pleating identity. Mesa and García-Abril highlighted their hands-on, performative approach to fixing forms with waxes and resins, marking an unusual experience for architects typically focused on masterplans.