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| Backstage before the Yuima Nakazato show as model Akuol Deng Atem is dressed in a sleek gown of silvery porcelain plates. Photograph (above) by Jay Zoo and cover picture by Andrea Heinsohn for DAM |
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Yuima Nakazato and Bradly Dunn Klerks at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris after the well-received 'Glacier' show. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn |
IN the cavernous halls of the Palais de Tokyo, in the Passy neighborhood of Paris opposite the Trocadéro, the final
rehearsal for
Glacier is underway.
Below the stark light of the storied art centre's industrial spaces, Yuima Nakazato and Bradly Dunn Klerks
move with quiet focus through the unfolding sequence. Together, they oversee the details, the alignment of silhouettes, the pace of the walk, the emotional
rhythm of the finale.
At the centre of it all, stands Nakazato, rehearsing his role in
the performative piece at the heart of the show: the slow, deliberate pouring of black ink onto
the white-shrouded body of dancer Evgeny Ganeev. Even in rehearsal, the moment
carried gravity. Around them, models trace their steps across the concrete
floor in silence, garments moving and clinking, porcelain masks glinting under the lights. The show is hours away, but already, the world of
Glacier has begun to take shape ~ fragile, meditative, and charged with meaning.
Nakazato moves through the rehearsal and the pre-show planning with composure and intent, guiding his team with a steady presence.
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Backstage in Paris as a hand-made ceramic mask is fitted pre-show. Photograph: Jay Zoo
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Just beyond the echo of footsteps in the main space,
backstage tells a quieter story, one of hands and touch, of seams and stillness.
In the fluorescent-lit dressing area, models stand patiently as final fittings are completed and delicate garments are layered onto bodies like a second
skin.
Seamstresses crouch low with needles and thread, adjusting lengths,
checking fastenings and the ceramic armour, as fragile as
eggshell. Each look requires time and care. Nothing here is rushed.
Hair is sculpted into glacial coils or swept back from the forehead while make-up artists shade eyes with a dash of silver or blue and lips are muted to a pale shade. Ceramic masks are slipped on gently, each one a
protective shield as much as an artistic statement.
Some conceal the face
entirely; others leave only a single feature exposed. These coverings, like the
garments themselves, carry meaning far beyond aesthetics, they ask questions
about identity, anonymity, and resistance in a hyper-visible world.
The show was hours away, but already, the world of Glacier backstage has begun to take shape ~ fragile, meditative, and charged with meaning
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Bradly Dunn Klerks looks on as Yuima Nakazato runs through the rehearsal before the show. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn |
Nakazato and Dunn Klerks rehearse and plan the pre-show with composure and intent,
adjusting silhouettes, smoothing fluttering textiles, guiding their team with a steady
presence.
His designs ~ long coats bearing giant photographs of bare skin, gowns
constructed from translucent layered mesh, mohair-crocheted chainmail threaded
with metal ~ are not just garments. They are designed as emotional statements, fragile
armours that speak of survival and memory.
These backstage moments are more than preparation, they
are the quiet heartbeat of a collection that speaks in gestures, and
touch. Here, the spectacle is not performance, but process. The world of
Glacier emerges not only in the spotlight, but behind the scenes: in the bowed head
of a model being dressed, in the quiet before the ink falls, in the silence
of a seam being sewn by hand.
This is couture not as embellishment, but as an invocation to change. Not
as show, but as ceremony. And before a single guest enters the room, Yuima
Nakazato has already created his story.
Scroll down to see more behind the scenes before the Yuima Nakazato AW25/26 show in Paris.
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| Dancer Evgeny Ganeev, Yuima Nakazato and Bradly Dunn Klerks rehearsing the performance before the Glacier show, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn. |
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| Backstage models try on the ceramic masks. Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Jay Zoo |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Jay Zoo |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Jay Zoo |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph; Andrea Heinsohn |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Jay Zoo |
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| Backstage as Evgeny Ganeev is in make-up at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph; Andrea Heinsohn |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph; Jay Zoo |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn |
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| Evgeny Ganeev rehearsing before his performance at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Jay Zoo |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Jay Zoo |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Jay Zoo |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture.Photograph: Jay Zoo |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Jay Zoo |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Jay Zoo |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Jay Zoo |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Jay Zoo |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph; Andrea Heinsohn |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Jay Zoo |
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| Bradly Dunn Klerks and Yuima Nakazato before the show, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Jay Zoo |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Jay Zoo |
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| Backstage at Yuima Nakazato, Glacier, Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Jay Zoo |
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| Yuima Nakazato and Bradly Dunn Klerks walk out of the runway space at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. Autumn-Winter 2025/2026, Paris Haute Couture. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn |
