➤ The Paper Log: Shell and Core — ISSEY MIYAKE Milan Special Exhibition
The Paper Log: Shell and Core — ISSEY MIYAKE Milan Special Exhibition
Carefully observed, the surface reveals a delicately layered texture reminiscent of tree rings, subtly tinted and accumulating in strata of refined elegance. Yet it is difficult not to wonder how such furniture—dense enough to bear the weight of the human body—is actually made. At this year’s ISSEY MIYAKE presentation, Paper Log (Paper Wood), an experimental project, offers a glimpse into the life cycle of these objects: furniture and installations that appear fragile, yet are inherently resilient.
➤ Paper Log
➤ Paper Log
➤ Paper Log
The material originates from a byproduct of the brand’s pleated garment production—compressed paper rolls. During the pleating process, these rolls are used to protect the fabric as it passes through the machine, and are later intended for recycling. However, during a visit to the production site, Satoshi Kondo, Design Director of MIYAKE DESIGN STUDIO, noticed their unexpected potential: their cross-sections closely resemble cut wood. When stained by traces of garment colour, they reveal irregular stratifications reminiscent of growth rings, unexpectedly beautiful in their randomness. This led to their naming as Paper Log, and became the starting point for a series of experimental works. The project is developed in collaboration with the Spanish architecture office Ensamble Studio, and is structured around two series: Shell, which expresses memory and time, and Core, which explores structural depth.
➤ The Paper Log: Shell and Core — ISSEY MIYAKE Milan Special Exhibition
➤ The Paper Log: Shell and Core — ISSEY MIYAKE Milan Special Exhibition
Lightness as Poetics: Fragments of Time
The Shell series, led by Ensamble Studio, seeks to capture moments in which time appears suspended. Paper layers peeled from the Paper Log are reshaped through a rigorous process grounded in deep material research and understanding, aiming to reveal their essential qualities while challenging conventional perceptions. Their soft qualities and natural folds are preserved, before being hardened to form sculptural objects frozen in time.
➤ Making Process
➤ Making Process
As a result, the paper seems like a surface imbued with memory and warmth—through which the structure of time becomes visible. It may appear to float with a sense of movement, or hang under its own weight in response to gravity. These living traces of folds and impressions faithfully record the process of making, while also echoing moments of pressure, displacement, and distortion in human experience, forming an unexpected resonance with the viewer.
➤ The Shell
➤ The Shell
➤ The Shell
Weight as Structure: Formed in Wood
The Core series, developed by the ISSEY MIYAKE team, turns its attention to the structural qualities of the paper rolls. Measuring approximately 80 cm in height and 40 cm in diameter, the rolls resemble wooden stumps. Through processes such as waxing, gluing, and bundling, their structural strength is reinforced. By transforming the lightweight nature of paper, the rolls become an alternative construction material. When cut into equal segments, they can be stacked like bricks; when sliced horizontally, they form cylindrical stools first presented at the ISSEY MIYAKE Spring Summer 2025 show in Paris; when vertically stacked, precisely cut, and fixed within metal frames, they become armchairs that combine the tactile quality of fibre bundles with unexpected comfort in seating.
➤ The Core | Prototype Armchair
➤ The Core | Prototype Bench
➤ The Core | Prototype Bricks
➤ The Core | Prototype Chair
These works, which reveal a semi-transparent, layered materiality upon close inspection, articulate a tension between transience and permanence, softness and rigidity, lightness and density. They celebrate a sense of sustainable beauty, while reflecting the transformation and regeneration of industrial remnants. When visiting Milan Design Week this year, stepping into the ISSEY MIYAKE store offers an opportunity to experience these Paper Log creations up close—and perhaps to reflect on how something as seemingly disposable as everyday lightness can quietly reveal the weight of time.
➤ ISSEY MIYAKE Milan
➤ ISSEY MIYAKE Milan
➤ ISSEY MIYAKE Milan
