Designer in Focus: Yuima Nakazato ~ Creating a Sustainable Fashion Future

Portrait of Yuima Nakazato at the Maison Baccarat in Paris and cover picture of the designer's Spring/Summer 2023/24 collection at the Palais de Tokyo by Elli Ioannou for DAM

Japanese designer Yuima Nakazato has gained international recognition for his innovative approach to fashion and sustainability and his passion for the environment. Called Inherit, his latest collection is inspired by the mountains of discarded clothing he witnessed in Kenya. In an exclusive interview, he discusses his pioneering design philosophy and vision for the future. Story by Jeanne-Marie Cilento. Reporting by Antonio Visconti.  Photography by Elli Ioannou, Nathan Geary & Matthew Fisher

Designer Yuima Nakazato backstage 

at his haute couture show in Paris.

Photograph: Nathan Geary

Yuima Nakazato not only creates avant-garde designs incorporating new technologies but uses his fashion collections to address environmental issues in unprecedented ways. When the designer travelled to Kenya, he wanted to see the waste situation and also to understand how people live there by using only what they get from the land. 

A documentary film directed by Tokyo-based Kousai Sekine about this trip, the creation of the Spring/Summer 2023-24 collection and the designer's vision for the future of fashion, will be released later this year. 

Nakazato's impressions of Kenya remain kaleidoscopic, he felt both hope and despair throughout the visit, and was touched by seeing the handmade details of what the tribespeople wore, and the intricate beaded jewellery they made themselves. But he was stunned by the enormous amount of garbage piling up in the country.

"My journey began with coming face-to-face with a vast amount of leftover clothing, an experience that left me feeling completely overwhelmed," he explains. "Gazing upon mountains of discarded garments, I was tormented by a sense of despair. It was undeniably obvious that cheap and generic attire such as denim and T-shirts had become utterly universal. A simple yet fundamental question arose in my mind: 'Do we really need to make any more clothes?''

"Gazing upon mountains of discarded garments, I was tormented by a sense of despair...A simple yet fundamental question arose in my mind: 'Do we really need to make any more clothes?'''

A shimmering, diaphanous design from 

Yuima Nakazato's latest collection.

Photograph: Elli Ioannou

"The amount of unwanted, disposed-of clothing is almost beyond counting. Left untreated, these discarded garments are a shameful epitome of the social issues we face today. 

"As someone who is responsible for designing clothes, I felt an urgent need to visit Kenya and witness this situation with my own eyes," says Nakazato

The designer's latest collection was presented during Paris Haute Couture week and was inspired by the trip to Kenya. "Rather than allowing myself to be overwhelmed by these issues, this collection represents my determination to continue searching for ways to make our world a better place," he explains.

Nakazato has been collaborating with Japanese company Seiko Epson for the past three years. The designer reveals that the collaboration is a partnership that combines the various technologies of Epson with his creativity to solve problems. Working together with the company, he hopes to change the future of the fashion industry by continuing to experiment with new sustainable technology and implement the successful results. 

"Rather than allowing myself to be overwhelmed, this collection represents my determination to continue searching for ways to make our world a better place."  

Beautiful, rich colours contrasted with

the more earthy pieces inspired by 

the African desert. 

Photograph: Nathan Geary

The production of the Spring/Summer 2023-24 collection began when 150 kilograms of used clothing was brought back to Japan from Africa. As most of the clothes did not have proper labels, it was impossible to tell where they were from or what they were made of, 

"These sorts of clothes are generally very difficult to recycle, but with Seiko Epson's dry fibre technology (DFT) we were able to convert them into new textiles for creating garments," Nakazato says. "It was almost as if we were rescuing clothes that had nowhere else to go." This technology pulverizes old clothes and turns them into new materials. The designer has high hopes for its potential as a form of recycling in the fashion industry.

"DFT is really new, and we were introduced to it only recently, but our response was quick, and we are the first to bring this technology to real clothing, " he explains. "We are also using Epson’s Digital textile printing, which reduces the amount of water and the environmental impact while at the same time, not impairing the expressive power of prints." 

"It was almost as if we were rescuing clothes that had nowhere else to go." 

The enveloping swathes of silk organza

using the new textile printing technology 

by Epson where hand-drawn sketches 

can be scanned on to the fabric.

Photograph Matthew Fisher 

This technology also allowed Nakazato to transmit his impressions of Africa onto fabric. The diaphanous, chiffon-like colorful textiles used in the collection were created using Epson’s digital textile printing. 

The rich hues and earthy tones were printed on silk organza fabric using this technology by scanning sketches inspired by Kenyan landscapes.

Nakazato learned how important water resources are in Kenya, and he embraced the importance of Epson’s technology, which enables printing with less water consumption. 

Photographs were also printed for an installation designed to show Earth’s destruction by humanity at Yuima Nakazato's haute couture show at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. 

The models appeared to walk over the "mountains of garbage" the designer had seen in Kenya. After the show, the set design was repurposed using Epson’s recycling technology.

Nakazato says he is continuing to experiment with his Type-1, Brewed Protein and Biosmocking projects. 

"Many items from this collection’s 29 looks are Type-1 products which are continually improved, and they remain our signature/standard items. Regarding Biosmocking using Brewed protein™, we also gathered stones from the largest desert in East Africa and ground them down to nano-size natural pigments using submicron/nanoparticle technology developed by the Japanese Painting Laboratory at Joshibi University of Art and Design."

Yuima Nakazato learned how important water resources are in places like Kenya and uses new technology which enables printing with less consumption.   

Swathed in Yuima Nakazato's creations, models

wait backstage before the show at the Palais de Tokyo

 in Paris. Photograph: Elli Ioannou

"These pigments were used to make dyes, which were employed to colour the synthetic Brewed Protein™ materials developed by Spiber Inc. that feature in the collection. 

Witnessing the reddish-brown landscape from the desert being dyed into the artificial protein fibres was quite beautiful, as if the hot, dry African air itself was being carried into the fabric."

The voluminous designs in the new collection allow great freedom for the wearer. "Like the Shibori technique, which has been evolving for the past three seasons, holes are made in the fabric and strings are passed through, making the rectangular fabric three-dimensional and wrapping it around the body in a special way," the designer explains.

"This idea was inspired by the fact that kimonos are made from rectangular pieces of cloth, and this season I felt that the pattern of the Kenyan tribesmen wrapping the cloth around their bodies resembled the pattern of kimonos and the idea expanded from there."

"This season I felt the pattern of the Kenyan tribesmen wrapping the cloth around their bodies resembled the pattern of kimonos."

The jewellery specially designed for the

 collection worn with the fabric that 

captures the earthy Kenyan landscape.

Photograph: Elli Ioannou

 

The designer's startling neckpieces provided a dramatic foil to the fluid and flowing designs in the collection, "The ceramic jewellery was inspired by the beadwork worn by Kenyan desert tribesmen," he comments. 

"In the course of my research, I discovered that bead decorations have been handed down from the most ancient times of humankind for 100,000 years and exist all over the world.

"Wearing decoration is the root of fashion, it is an act of wearing culture and is the basis of jewellery design. I wanted to once again propose bead decoration as a cultural act that should not be lost in contemporary fashion and in thinking about future clothing." 

The designer travelled from Nairobi to the hinterland of Northern Kenya and witnessed tribespeople living in the desert, suffering from the harsh conditions created by water shortages, caused by climate change. The people dress in vivid clothes and yet endure a life in an inhospitable environment.  

The designer's startling ceramic neckpieces provide a dramatic foil to the fluid and flowing designs in the collection.

The colours in the new collection were

inspired by the vivid hues of the clothes

Nakazato saw in Kenya.

Photograph: Elli Ioannou

"I was particularly captivated by their clothing: against a backdrop of desert sand, the tribespeople wrap their bodies in many colorful fabrics, utilizing oranges, greens, and purples and wearing beaded necklaces and earrings."  

Nakazato is an idealist and has always seen his work as not only about creating beautiful, useful garments but also about using fashion as a tool for positive change. 

"I want to create clothes that have a deeper meaning, clothes that will inspire people to think about the world and how they can contribute." His dedication to sustainable practices and his respect for tradition are evident in all of his collections,

From the start of his career, Yuima Nakazato has been driven by his own particular vision. Seven years after he graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp in 2008, Nakazato had already established his eponymous fashion label by the time he was 30 years old. The following year, in 2016, he had been formally selected as a guest designer for Haute Couture Week, cementing his place as one of the rising stars in the industry. He has since continued to showcase his collections at Paris Fashion Week, where he entrances audiences with his unique fusion of technology and craftsmanship.

"I want to create clothes that have a deeper meaning, clothes that will inspire people to think about the world and how they can contribute."

Yuima Nakazato continues to develop

his Type-1 designs and Biosmocking 

projects that also contribute to 

creating sustainable fashion.

Photograph: Matthew Fisher

 

Nakazato has shown each season that he is more than just a talented designer but a deep thinker who is using his work to address social and environmental issues and push the boundaries of what is possible in the world of fashion. In 2021, he launched the Fashion Frontier Program, an educational initiative designed to empower the next generation of fashion designers.

With the launch of the program, Nakazato is on a mission to discover and nurture future fashion designers who share his vision and courage. The program aims to both educate young fashion designers and encourage them to overcome challenges and create a better society. While the program is currently based in Japan, designers from all over the world can submit their applications.

Through his collections and his work with the Fashion Frontier Program, Yuima Nakazato is redefining what it means to be a fashion designer in the 21st century. He is breaking down barriers and challenging conventional ideas about fashion, harnessing both science and industry, to create a greener, more inclusive, and socially conscious industry.

Highlights of Yuima Nakazato's Spring/Summer 2023/24 Haute Couture Collection in Paris 

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Matthew Fisher

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Matthew Fisher

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Nathan Geary

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Elli Ioannou

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Matthew Fisher

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Matthew Fisher

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Nathan Geary

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Nathan Geary

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Elli Ioannou

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Elli Ioannou

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Elli Ioannou

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Matthew Fisher

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Nathan Geary

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Matthew Fisher

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Matthew Fisher

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Nathan Geary 

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Nathan Geary

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Matthew Fisher

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Matthew Fisher

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Matthew Fisher

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Nathan Geary

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Elli Ioannou

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Elli Ioannou

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Elli Ioannou

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Nathan Geary

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Elli Ioannou

Yuima Nakazato Inherit Haute Couture Collection Spring/Summer 2023-24 Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France. Photograph: Elli Ioannou