issey miyake and atelier oï arrive in copenhagen
In central Copenhagen during 3daysofdesign, a series of shiny fabric forms fills the white rooms of Gallery 2112. Their silhouettes shift between lamp and object, seeming almost as if gathered fabric suspended within delicate wire outlines.
Here, A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE presents the latest chapter of its ongoing collaboration with the Swiss design studio workshop oïcontinuing a conversation that started in fashion and now extends to lighting design.
Debuting at the annual Copenhagen design festival, the exhibition introduces new additions to the O series, a collection of portable lighting first unveiled during Milan Design Week 2025.
Developed through atelier oï’s TYPE-XIII project, the collection explores what can emerge from two simple elements: a piece of fabric and a piece of wire. The exhibition places this idea at the center, inviting visitors to handle the lamps and observe how different materials, colors and textures shape the atmosphere around them.
A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE presents fabric lamps at Gallery 2112 in Copenhagen. images © ISSEY MIYAKE INC
from clothing technology to portable lighting
The collaboration between A-POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE and atelier oï grew out of a shared interest in materials and construction. While atelier oï is known for projects spanning architecture, interiors and product design, Issey Miyake’s experimental studio has spent decades exploring the potential of fabric through garment engineering and manufacturing.
Their exchange moves this exploration away from the body and into the domestic landscape, asking how textile technologies developed for clothing might behave when turned into light sources.
At the heart of the project is Steam Stretch, a textile process used in A-POC ABLE’s garment manufacturing practice. Design elements are woven directly into a single piece of fabric before heat causes selected areas to shrink, creating a three-dimensional pleated structure.
For the O series, the resulting fabric becomes a removable lampshade attached to an oval wire frame designed by atelier oï. The fabric can be detached and replaced, allowing the look of the lamp to shift depending on its setting.
The O series marks the brand’s debut at 3daysofdesign
inspired by wood and stone
The second iteration of the O series draws its visual language from natural surfaces. New fabric variations refer to the textures of wood and stone, translating grains, layers and geological patterns into woven fabrics that filter light in different ways.
Throughout the exhibition, the lamps take on a sculptural presence even when closed, their pleated forms holding volume and shape within the slender metal frame.
Developed together with Japanese portable lighting manufacturer Ambientec, the lamps are designed to be easily moved between indoor spaces. Their light output can be adjusted to four levels, ranging from a warm incandescent tone to a brighter white daylight.
This flexibility reinforces the project’s interest in adaptability, allowing the same object to function differently depending on its environment.
atelier oï shapes each lamp with an oval wire frame
extending the idea of a piece of cloth
For designer Yoshiyuki Miyamae, the project continues a line of research that has shaped A-POC since Issey Miyake first introduced the concept of ‘A Piece Of Cloth’ in 1998. The original system proposed new ways of producing garments from a single continuous fabric, bridging the gap between design, manufacture and use.
In the O series, the same thought is redirected to furniture-scale objects, where the fabric becomes structure, surface and light diffuser at the same time.
Unveiled during 3daysofdesign, the installation reflects a growing interest in design projects that move between disciplines rather than remaining within established categories. Fashion brands are increasingly involved in furniture, lighting and interiors, yet this work remains closely linked to the techniques that produced it.
The lamps result from the same textile experimentation that informs A-POC ABLE clothing, offering a glimpse of how material research can travel across different scales and uses while retaining its original character.
Steam Stretch fabric turns a garment technique into a luminous surface
the lamps combine a piece of fabric with a piece of wire
