ISSEY MIYAKE will present the special exhibition URUSHI BODY: Between Body and Matter from September 1, 2026, at ISSEY MIYAKE GINZA, ISSEY MIYAKE SEMBA, and ISSEY MIYAKE KYOTO, focusing on “URUSHI BODY,” a series introduced in the Fall/Winter 2026/27 collection.

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For its Autumn Winter 2026/27 collection, ISSEY MIYAKE explored “Creating, Allowing”—the relationship between deliberate intervention in design and the unfilled space left by its absence. “URUSHI BODY” emerged as one of the series at the heart of this exploration.

Taking structures that wrap and support the body, such as the obi of a kimono and the bustier, as its point of departure, the series expands upon these ideas and reinterprets dressing as the contemporary act of fitting a rigid form onto the body to shape and compose it. The sculptural forms that trace the body’s curves are made from Echizen washi paper and urushi lacquer, while 3D printing is also incorporated into the production process. Tracing this exploration further back leads to BODYWORKS, a body of work developed by Issey Miyake in the 1980s.

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Through this new series, the exhibition also offers an opportunity to revisit the body—a subject ISSEY MIYAKE has explored over many decades—through the materials, technologies, and craftsmanship of the present.

Fitting and Shaping the Body

At the conceptual origin of “URUSHI BODY” are the kimono obi and the bustier: structures that encircle and support the torso while defining its contours. Beginning with these forms, ISSEY MIYAKE developed the idea into an act of dressing in which a rigid structure is fitted onto the body to shape and compose it.

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Comprising two forms, a bustier and a corset, “URUSHI BODY” has a three-dimensional structure designed to follow the curves of the body. When the sculptural object and the body come together, a new relationship between clothing and form emerges. The collection’s broader exploration of intentionality and openness can also be found here—in the question of how much form should be imposed upon the body, and how much should remain open.

From Echizen Washi to a Form That Envelops the Body

The making of “URUSHI BODY” begins with washi produced in Echizen, Fukui Prefecture. A large sheet of paper, carefully made by artisans, is torn by hand and layered with adhesive over a mold created using a 3D printer. Through this process, the once-flat sheets gradually accumulate into a three-dimensional form tracing the contours of the body.

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Craftsmanship and contemporary technology coexist within the same production process. The digitally fabricated mold establishes the underlying form, while hand-torn sheets of handmade washi are applied one by one. The foundation may be digitally produced, but its surface is shaped through the individual qualities of each sheet of paper and the work of human hands. Once formed into three dimensions, the washi then travels to Kyoto.

How Urushi Transforms Washi as a Material

In Kyoto, artisans apply layer upon layer of urushi lacquer to the molded washi. Through this process, the surface acquires a deep luster, while retaining the material’s inherent suppleness within.

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Paper becomes volume, and volume becomes a lacquered material object.

The form of “URUSHI BODY” emerges through the skills cultivated by artisans in Fukui and Kyoto, together with contemporary fabrication enabled by 3D printing. Traditional materials—Echizen washi and urushi—meet handcraft and digital technology to create its distinctive sculptural form. Understanding “URUSHI BODY” therefore involves not only looking at its finished surface, but also considering the materials and processes through which it comes into being.

An Exploration of the Body Continuing from BODYWORKS

Behind “URUSHI BODY” lies ISSEY MIYAKE’s longstanding exploration of the human body. One of its historical points of reference is BODYWORKS, the body of work Issey Miyake developed during the 1980s.

Working with materials that extended beyond the conventional realm of fabric—including plastic, paper, and wire—Miyake explored bodily movement and form. Among the works that emerged from these experiments were “bodies” molded directly from the human figure.

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By enclosing the torso in material, the presence of the body itself became more pronounced. “URUSHI BODY” carries this exploration into the present. Where BODYWORKS employed materials such as plastic, paper, and wire in the 1980s, “URUSHI BODY” in 2026 brings together Echizen washi, urushi lacquer, and forms created through 3D printing.

Materials and production technologies have changed with time, but the underlying inquiry continues: what emerges when body and material encounter one another?

Seeing “URUSHI BODY” Through the Moving Body

The special exhibition presents not only the physical works of “URUSHI BODY,” but also their relationship with the body. At ISSEY MIYAKE GINZA | CUBE, a video installation captures a dancer wearing the pieces, allowing visitors to encounter the forms both as stationary objects and in motion with the body.

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As the body moves, its curves and center of gravity shift. When the fixed form of “URUSHI BODY” meets those movements, the relationship between body and material changes in turn. The body responds to the material, while the material gives contour to the body. Through both the physical works and moving images, the exhibition brings this interaction into view.

From the Finished Form to the Process Behind It

The exhibition also turns attention to the process through which “URUSHI BODY” is made. In Ginza, footage documenting production at artisans’ workshops in Fukui and Kyoto will be shown alongside the actual tools used in the making of the works. At ISSEY MIYAKE KYOTO | KURA, the finished pieces will likewise be accompanied by production footage and artisans’ tools.

A sheet of washi is made in Echizen, torn into pieces, layered over a 3D-printed mold, and then finished with urushi in Kyoto. The exhibition allows visitors to follow this sequence of processes.

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By presenting not only the materials that form “URUSHI BODY,” but also the hands and tools that work with them, the exhibition connects the finished objects with the processes of making that lie behind them.

Three Cities, Three Approaches

The special exhibition will take place across three venues in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, with a different presentation at each location.

At ISSEY MIYAKE GINZA | CUBE, the exhibition will feature “URUSHI BODY” pieces, a video installation of a dancer wearing them, footage documenting the production process at workshops in Fukui and Kyoto, and tools used by the artisans. ISSEY MIYAKE SEMBA | CREATION SPACE will present the pieces alongside photographic and video installations featuring a dancer. At ISSEY MIYAKE KYOTO | KURA, visitors will see the works together with production footage and artisans’ tools.

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Beginning with the same “URUSHI BODY” series, each venue approaches it from a different perspective—from its relationship with the body to its production process and the skills of the artisans involved.

Into the Space Between Body and Material

The exhibition is titled URUSHI BODY: Between Body and Matter. In “URUSHI BODY,” body and material enter into a relationship while each retains its own presence.

The structures that envelop the body, inspired by the kimono obi and bustier; the three-dimensional forms created from Echizen washi; the layers of urushi applied in Kyoto; the molds produced through 3D printing; and the moving body that ultimately wears the finished form—all come together to constitute “URUSHI BODY.” Underlying them is an exploration of the body that continues from BODYWORKS.

Connecting the 1980s with the present, ISSEY MIYAKE continues to reconsider the relationship between body and material while updating the materials and technologies through which that inquiry takes form. URUSHI BODY: Between Body and Matter offers a view of how that exploration is being carried forward in 2026—through the works themselves, the body, and the processes by which they are made.