The Pleats Please Issey Miyake store in Soho, New York recently underwent its first major redesign and refurbishment since opening in 1998. Designed to reflect the spirit of Issey Miyake, this renovated space is both innovative and functional.
Clouds Architecture Office designed the space. Designers Masayuki Sono and Ostap Rudakevych wanted to interpret the Pleats Please collection into an architectural concept. Pleats Plesae is manufactured as flat garments with their folds embodying shapes that allow them to conform to individual bodies.
The design of the Pleats Please store uses an inverse methodology and compressed three-dimensional forms that are captured in flat, translucent planes. The planes work to expand the boundary of the place and achieve a displaced sense of depth by “transforming the normative flow of optical phenomenon”.
Scattered lights and glowing pedestals further promote the ethereal atmosphere. Another key feature of the Pleats Please Issey Miyake store is the layers of flexibility built into the small space. Dressing rooms are sub-dividable and expandable to meet the demands of peak shopping seasons. The display tables, each with perforations, can be made to work in any position. Metal rods can also be threaded through these tables to use them as shelves or hanging spaces.
