Cabbage Armchair

Cabbage Chair is designer Oki Sato’s response to an invitation from fashion designer Issey Miyake to participate in an exhibition titled XXIst Century Man in Tokyo in 2008. Participants were presented with the challenge of finding a practical use for the rolls of paper that are a by-product of the fabric-pleating process used in the creation of Miyake’s Pleats Please clothing line. The chair is made entirely from a large roll of paper, stiffened through the addition of resins, and possesses no additional structural supports. The roll of paper unfolds naturally as layers are peeled back by hand to reveal the seat of the chair. In its functionality, simplicity of design and rough appearance, the chair is reminiscent of the Mingei tradition, while the reuse of materials and minimal production costs make it a valuable contribution to the evolution of sustainability in design.