DESIGN DISPATCH

Henry Leutwyler Documents 10 Years of Issey Miyake Homme Plissé, and Other News

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Homme Plissé Issey Miyake. Photography by Henry Leutwyler, courtesy of Issey Miyake

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Henry Leutwyler Documents 10 Years of Issey Miyake Homme Plissé

When Homme Plissé debuted a decade ago, it lent a menswear slant to Issey Miyake’s highly successful Pleats Please line. In creating that, the late designer mastered a technique of permanently heat-pleating polyester to never unfurl, wrinkle, or become staticky. 

Homme Plissé made the same innovation available to a wider range of shoppers, and it recently celebrated its 10th anniversary with a Decade collection and campaign shot by fashion and culture photographer Henry Leutwyler. The collection includes a T-shirt, jacket, and trouser, while Leutwyler’s photo series captures the key construction elements of Homme Plissé: its pleated fabric swatches, pins and a tape measure to represent its unique fit and drape, and shears, seam rippers, and fabric markers as symbols of the expert craft. —Jenna Adrian-Diaz

Rendering of Glenbow’s rooftop terrace at the JR Shaw Centre for Arts and Culture in Calgary. Image courtesy of CNW Group/Glenbow

Maya Lin will design an expansive rooftop terrace for Calgary’s Glenbow Museum.

Maya Lin is embarking on her first Canadian project by designing a 13,000-square-foot rooftop terrace for the JR Shaw Centre for Arts & Culture, an addition to the Glenbow Museum in Calgary by DIALOG. The terrace will feature an all-season pavilion, event spaces, sculpture gardens, and skylights to bring natural light into the museum. This project, which repurposes an existing building in downtown Calgary, aligns with Lin’s commitment to energy and material efficiency while providing a new public amenity for the city. It’s slated to open in mid-2026 in conjunction with DIALOG’s renovation of the Glenbow Museum.

According to a UN report, at least 42 percent of homes in Gaza have been damaged.

The United Nations reports 42 percent of homes in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged during the Israel-Hamas conflict. The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs released this information, indicating that 15,100 housing units had been destroyed, 10,656 were rendered uninhabitable, and 139,000 suffered up to moderate damage. The damage was a result of Israeli military action in response to a major assault by Hamas militants on Israel on Oct. 7. The conflict has resulted in widespread destruction, including the destruction of whole neighborhoods, and has had a significant humanitarian impact on the Gaza Strip.

The Quay Quarter Tower in Sydney. Images courtesy of CTBUH

Sydney’s Quay Quarter Tower has been named CTBUH’s best tall building worldwide. 

The Quay Quarter Tower in Sydney, designed by 3XN and BVN, has been awarded the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s prize for the best new tall building in 2023. This 676-foot-tall skyscraper, a revamp of the 1970s AMP Center, was recognized for its innovative sustainable approach to dealing with high density. The building retained 65 percent of the original structure while adding angular extensions to create five shifted volumes, doubling its floor space. It also features an external sunshade that blocks 30 percent of solar radiance, reducing carbon emissions and contributing to climate change mitigation.

Michelangelo Pistoletto donates a new version of an artwork to Naples after an arson.

Michelangelo Pistoletto will donate a new iteration of his installation, the Venus of the Rags, to Naples after the original was destroyed by arson in July. The replacement piece, symbolizing rebirth after the incident, will be placed at the same site on January 22 for a four-week period. Pistoletto’s gesture comes as a relief to Naples, which had initiated a crowdfunding campaign for the replacement. The vandalized artwork was commissioned as part of the Contemporary Naples project, designed to infuse public art into various parts of the city.

Karl Lagerfeld will expand its real estate portfolio by developing luxury villas in Dubai. 

Karl Lagerfeld has partnered with UAE real estate firm Taraf Holding to develop luxury villas in Dubai, marking the fashion house’s third branded residential project and its first in the Middle East. While specific details about the project are yet to be disclosed, Karl Lagerfeld’s CEO, Pier Paolo Righi, emphasized their commitment to crafting unique lifestyle habitats that blend design artistry with real estate. Lagerfeld, known for his multifaceted career, had previously engaged in interiors and hotel projects. The collaboration aims to bring his concept of exclusive living to Dubai, enhancing Taraf’s standing in the competitive UAE property sector.

Image courtesy of Vruit

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