Issey Miyake transforms "wafer-thin" layers of waste paper into marbled furniture

Fashion house Issey Miyake has created handcrafted furniture out of compressed log-like rolls of paper salvaged from the production of pleated garments, which will be unveiled at Milan design week.

The furniture prototypes will form part of The Paper Log: Shell and Core, an exhibition that will open at the Issey Miyake Milan store on 21 April.

Ranging from stools and chairs to tables and a bench, the pieces were created from tightly compressed rolls of paper known as "paper logs".

These "logs" are the byproduct of Issey Miyake's trademark pleating process, where paper sheets are sandwiched between pre-cut-and-sewn textiles that are fed through the pleating machine to create the house's distinctively sculpted garments.

Head designer Satoshi Kondo had the idea to transform the rolls into furniture after a visit to the brand's manufacturer, to save the paper from being recycled or disposed of as usual.

Much like when making furniture from wooden logs, the paper logs were carved, sawn, peeled and unrolled to form each piece.

Thanks to the paper's absorbent qualities, the furniture was then soaked with wax or bound with glue to cement the material in place.

Central to the collection are two cylindrical stools, which were made by hand-cutting the rolls crosswise to reveal a swirly marbled pattern at each end. They originally formed seating for the Issey Miyake Spring Summer 2025 show in Paris.

"The wafer-thin pleated paper sheets give the furniture prototypes a distinctive texture reminiscent of wood and stone," Kondo told Dezeen.

"Because of the randomness in how the sheets are compressed into the paper log, each resulting prototype is a unique, organic piece," added the designer.

The collection also includes a blocky armchair. Sheets of the waste paper were arranged to create a seat with fluted sides and a unique mottled cross-section, held together with a metal frame.

Kondo explained that creating the furniture was an especially tactile experience, involving a number of different cutting methods.

"With our own hands, we tried using tools such as chisels, traditional Japanese hand axes, heavy-duty craft knives, reciprocating saws, and electric grinders," he said. "We also used a water jet cutter."

While the paper naturally has a neutral hue, each piece in the collection features a spattering of colours that were transferred from the textiles during the garment pleating process.

"Due to the heat and pressure of the pleating, the colours of the fabrics and the silhouettes of the garments transfer onto the sheets, leaving pale imprints of the clothing," said Kondo.

As well as the stools and armchair, the collection includes a dining chair, a table, a side table and a bench, all constructed from the waste paper and presented at the Issey Miyake store.

"They convey a sense of beauty that is unintended," said Kondo.

"The crudeness found in random arrangements of patches of colours, masking tapes, bundles of sheets, all of which are memories of the pleating process."

Alongside the furniture, Spanish architecture firm Ensamble Studio will also showcase a series of pleated sculptures at the store made from the paper rolls.

Each artwork was sculpted out of the paper waste and solidified with hardening agents to set each pleat, wrinkle and crease in place.

The exhibition name refers to the furniture – the "core" of the show – and the sculptures, which reference the more delicate "shell".

During last year's Milan design week, Issey Miyake showcased delicate pleated lighting created by the clothing brand's experimental arm, A-Poc Able.

The annual city-wide event kicks off in the Italian city next week. Ahead of the festival, we've curated a list of unmissable exhibitions and installations to help you navigate the usual flurry of activity.

The photography is courtesy of Issey Miyake.

Issey Miyake – The Paper Log: Shell and Core takes place from 21 April to 5 May 2026 at Issey Miyake Milan, Via Bagutta 12, 20121 Milan, Italy. See Dezeen Events Guide for more architecture and design events around the world.

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