A-Poc Able Issey Miyake returns to Milan Design Week with a new collaboration titled “TYPE-XIII Atelier Oï project.” The exhibition, on view from April 8 to 13, 2025, takes over the Issey Miyake / Milan flagship store and introduces two lighting series developed with Swiss design studio Atelier Oï. The teams have worked across disciplines, connecting textile innovation with wire-based structures to reimagine how lighting functions in daily life.
The project began with a shared interest in process and material. A-Poc Able Issey Miyake, known for pushing garment-making into new areas, joined forces with Atelier Oï, which works across architecture and industrial design. Their collaboration centers on two key elements: “a piece of cloth” and “a piece of wire.” Together, they explored how these components could extend beyond clothing and architecture, and into light as an expressive medium.
O Series: Portable, Delicate, and Adaptive
The “O Series,” developed with Japanese portable lighting manufacturer Ambientec, presents a set of movable lamps designed for everyday flexibility. Each piece invites users to shift and rearrange the light as needed, creating fluid, responsive environments. The design draws on the soft presence of flowers, objects people instinctively place and arrange without overthinking. These lights work the same way, offering function and mood in equal measure.
Atelier Oï created the oval wire frame structure, while A-Poc Able contributed its recycled polyester “Steam Stretch” material for the lampshades. This textile, already used in A-Poc garments, transforms under heat to form pleated, organic surfaces. In the O Series, the textured shade softens the light, dispersing it evenly through the folds and casting layered shadows that shift with position.
The design remains portable and compact. Users can detach the shade and frame, fold the lamp flat, and store it easily. This flexibility makes the piece adaptable across settings, whether placed on a desk, shelf, or side table, and emphasizes intuitive use over rigid formality.
A Series: Modular Shapes Through Knitted Fabric
The second part of the installation, the “A Series,” introduces a different construction approach. Here, A-Poc Able worked with Spanish lighting brand Parachilna to develop pendant lights using its signature knit textiles. These shades come pre-knitted in long rolls and take shape only once inserted into wire frames. The result: a lightweight form that adjusts with ease.
Users can cut the knit fabric at varying lengths to create custom shapes, or stack them together to build double or triple fixtures. This modular system opens up multiple possibilities, offering a design that responds to personal use rather than fixed convention. The knit shades provide texture and flexibility, while the structure maintains balance between volume and simplicity.
Parachilna’s involvement brings an emphasis on craft and material clarity. Known for working with tactile finishes and thoughtful construction, the brand contributes a grounded quality to the experimental format of the A Series.
From Prototype to Future Product
The TYPE-XIII project presents these prototypes in an installation format during Design Week, offering an early look at ideas still in development. A-Poc Able and Atelier Oï plan to continue refining the series, with future plans to bring both lighting concepts to market. For now, the Milan exhibition offers visitors a moment to observe how wire, fabric, and light behave together in space, each piece shaped by the hand and by technique, not just appearance.
The “TYPE-XIII Atelier Oï project” runs from April 8-13, 2025, at the Issey Miyake / Milan store on Via Bagutta 12. The exhibition remains open daily from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
this is gorgeous! Thank you!