Issey Miyake and Ensamble Studio Transform Pleating Byproducts into Furniture at Milan Design Week

At Milan Design Week 2026, Issey Miyake presented “The Paper Log: Shell and Core,” an installation conceived by Satoshi Kondo of MIYAKE DESIGN STUDIO in collaboration with Madrid-based Ensamble Studio. The project repurposes cylindrical rolls of pleated paper sheets—industrial byproducts from the garment-making process—into furniture and sculptural objects. The installation is split into two series: “Shell,” developed by Ensamble Studio, features delicate, crystallized forms created by peeling thin layers and treating them with hardening agents; “Core,” by Issey Miyake’s in-house team, produces stools, chairs, and tables through waxing, gluing, and bundling to emphasize density and strength. Early iterations of the paper logs were sliced into stools for the brand’s Spring/Summer 2025 presentation in Paris. Kondo noted that the project aims to find value in overlooked materials, inspired by Issey Miyake’s original vision for the “PLEATS PLEASE” line. The installation includes a documentary component and is housed in Issey Miyake’s Milan store, which has functioned as a creative platform since opening in 2017.