REALITY LAB. ISSEY MIYAKE, opened by ISSEY MIYAKE INC. on November 11, is selling exclusively items made with Tohoku washi paper. These paper-based items were born from Miyake Issey's idea of "What is social clothing? I want to consider Japanese craftsmanship from a cultural perspective." Based on Shiroishi washi paper from Shiroishi City, Miyagi Prefecture, which inspired the ISSEY MIYAKE MEN Spring/Summer 2013 collection, the collection uses paper fibers intertwined vertically and horizontally, hand-kneaded, and then coated with konjac paste to enhance its strength. The texture retains the warmth of handcrafted craftsmanship cultivated over many years. Recycled polyester, also used in 132 5. ISSEY MIYAKE items, is used in areas requiring extra strength, such as underarms, buttonholes, cuffs, under the collar, and inside the placket. The lineup includes items from "132 5. ISSEY MIYAKE" (210,000 yen). From "ISSEY MIYAKE MEN," the lineup includes items released in SS13 (210,000 yen), as well as a blouson, coat, jacket, and two types of pants made with bonded washi paper fabric (52,500 yen to 136,500 yen), and three types of coats, pullovers, and two types of pants made with washi canvas fabric (39,900 yen to 157,500 yen). ISSEY MIYAKE has developed original materials while respecting Japanese traditions and handicrafts. In 1982, they introduced kamiko, paper garments made with washi paper, which have excellent heat retention and have long been used as work clothes, as well as worn by monks during ceremonies such as the Omizutori ceremony at Todaiji Temple in Nara. ISSEY MIYAKE MEN's SS13 collection also focused on washi paper, proposing a collection that adds a modern interpretation of "life with bicycles" to washi paper, which has long been used as everyday clothing in the Tohoku region. The collection includes washi bonding, which is made washable by laminating the surface of fabric made by bonding washi paper with rayon, washi canvas, which is made by woven from finely shredded washi paper, washi raschel, which combines washi paper and nylon, and low-gauge knitwear made from extra-thick washi yarn.