Words Dolores O’Donoghue
The Museum of Lace and Fashion in Calais, France, is proud to host the inaugural monographic exhibition of the trailblazing Japanese avant-garde fashion designer Yuima Nakazato.
Renowned for seamlessly blending innovation, tradition and cutting-edge technology, Nakazato’s work transcends conventional boundaries. The exhibition features approximately fifty garments from his couture collections spanning from 2016 to 2024. Complementing the couture pieces are an assortment of accessories, fashion sketches, technical drawings and fabric samples, as well as fashion photography and videos, offering a comprehensive exploration of his creative process and vision.
Born in Japan in 1985, Nakazato completed his studies at the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Belgium, in 2008. Throughout his career, he has garnered numerous accolades and honours. Notably, he received the Innovation Award for his end-of-curriculum collection in 2008, which integrated origami into the realm of fashion design.
The designer’s ambition is to create progressive, sustainable clothes that form a unique emotional bond with the people who wear them. To achieve this, he draws insights from the creativity of haute couture combined with traditional Japanese techniques. His inspiration is mainly from nature – the song of whales, the red lava of volcanoes or the beauty of landscapes.
Since 2016, he has displayed his collections twice a year in Paris during Haute Couture Fashion Week, organised by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, as a guest member. This makes him only the second Japanese fashion designer, after Hanae Mori, to participate in this esteemed Parisian event.
The environmental impact of the fashion industry is one of Yuima Nakazato’s biggest concerns. He addresses this by pushing technological boundaries to develop innovative textiles and manufacturing processes, such as 3D printing. 3D-printed clothes can be made from recyclable and biodegradable materials; they also generate minimal waste, as there are no cut-offs or excess fabric. He also adapts a circular approach to garment manufacturing by collecting used and unwanted knit parts or clothing, then unravelling and upcycling them for use in new products. He uses certified organic cotton produced in Uzbekistan, which is grown in high altitudes where it is difficult for pests to survive and so can be produced without using traditional pesticides.
Nakazato also creates costumes for stage, ballet and opera, including those for the opera Idoménée, to be premiered in 2024 at Le Grand Théâtre de Genève.
The exhibition runs from 15 June 2024 to 5 January 2025.
- ‘Yuima Nakazato: Beyond Couture’ is published in Anthology Volume 21. Read more features from this volume or buy it now.
- Browse more features in fashion.
- If you enjoyed this feature, we’d love it if you would share it!