The Paper Log: Shell and Core Reuses Pleating Byproducts
Amy Duong — April 18, 2026 — Art & Design
References: eu.isseymiyake
The Paper Log: Shell and Core is an installation by Issey Miyake in collaboration with Ensamble Studio, presented during Milan Design Week 2026. The Paper Log: Shell and Core reuses compressed rolls of paper generated during the brand’s pleating process, where sheets are used to protect fabric before being discarded. These cylindrical logs are cut, peeled, and reshaped into new forms, translating a production byproduct into a structural material.
The installation is divided into two sections that approach the material differently. The Shell series, developed by Ensamble Studio, uses peeled sheets hardened with treatments to preserve folds and creases as fixed surfaces. The Core series, created by the in-house team under Satoshi Kondo, includes stools, chairs, and tables formed through waxing, gluing, and bundling processes.
Image Credit: Issey Miyake
The installation is divided into two sections that approach the material differently. The Shell series, developed by Ensamble Studio, uses peeled sheets hardened with treatments to preserve folds and creases as fixed surfaces. The Core series, created by the in-house team under Satoshi Kondo, includes stools, chairs, and tables formed through waxing, gluing, and bundling processes.
Image Credit: Issey Miyake
Trend Themes
1. Upcycled Production Byproducts - Repurposing manufacturing waste into durable components creates pathways for low-cost material streams that alter supply-chain resource value.
2. Pleated Material Repurposing - The preservation of pleat geometry as a design language enables novel aesthetic-structural hybrids that merge textile techniques with rigid applications.
3. Compressed Cellulose Structural Components - Engineered paper logs demonstrate that densified cellulose can serve as a lightweight, tunable structural medium rivaling traditional wood and molded composites.
Industry Implications
1. Furniture Design - Design studios and manufacturers could capitalize on formable compressed-paper elements to offer sustainable, signature collections with differentiated tactile and visual qualities.
2. Fashion Manufacturing - Apparel producers using pleating and protective paper waste present opportunities to internalize circular material loops that reduce raw-material purchases and waste handling.
3. Packaging and Paper Products - Paper converters and packaging firms may find value in upgrading byproducts into higher-margin structural goods that extend product lifecycles beyond single-use packaging.
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