PARIS SPRING / SUMMER 2024: EPSON AND DESIGNER YUIMA NAKAZATO DEBUT A POWERFUL COUTURE COLLECTION THAT SIGNPOSTS THE FUTURE OF FASHION
Japanese fashion designer Yuima Nakazato remained focused on innovative, environmental sourcing and sustainability for his latest couture Spring/Summer 2024 fashion collection.
For the third year, Epson and the talented Nakazato fashion house have collaborated to foster the use of environmentally friendly solutions in the fashion industry, through the use of advanced technologies, leveraging Epson printing technologies alongside Epson’s innovative Dry Fibre Technology.
At each debut, Yuima’s creative, artisan approach to apparel and the intrinsic function of each garment has produced a powerful, inspiring collection.
Nakazato’s work is pure, organic, ethereal theatre, his clothes dress and empower the body in a unique format. That is no accident. Yuima considers every thread of his work and all aspects of performance to ensure all elements of his garments make a positive impact on the environment. In choosing to use Epson’s printing technologies alongside their dry fibre technology, Nakazato once again reaffirms his innate passion and natural curiosity for sustainable manufacturing processes.
As part of the Haute Couture Week 2024 in Paris, the designer presented his latest collection at the Palais de Tokyo. Epson dry fibre technology has once again been woven throughout Yuima Nakazato’s 2024 collection and then combined with the Monna Lisa print process to create stunning visual textiles.
Hitoshi Igarashi, of the Epson printing technology department explains:
“Although Dry Fiber technology is still in its infancy, we are convinced that this manufacturing method, combined with digital printing with pigment inks, will be a game-changer for the fashion industry as a more sustainable future opens up. Since January of this year, Epson has significantly improved the quality and printability of the newly produced fabrics. The fabric is now less dense, and much thinner than before but more robust and flexible resulting in a weight reduction of 37.5 % from the previous 160 g/m2 to the current 100 g/m2 -, making it more suitable as a printing basis for the Monna Lisa digital textile printer”.
The fabric taken to create the latest Yuima Nakazato fashion collection was originally derived from material from used garments sourced from Africa, the destination for many discarded garments from elsewhere in the world.
This collection is officially linked to the opera Idomeneo, which premiered at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, Switzerland in February 2024. Idomeneo is an opera composed by Mozart in 1781. This new interpretation of the classic tale of human suffering from the disasters of the ancient Greek wars is directed by Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui2 and was presented with stage design by contemporary artist Chiharu Shiota and costumes by Yuima Nakazato. The runway show is also staged in collaboration with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.
Designers Statement
“While designing the costumes for this opera, I visited Crete, the Greek island in the Mediterranean Sea where the story of Idomeneo takes place. With a vista of transparent, turquoise blue seas and groves of olive trees spread before me, I imagined the Trojan War as it took place in this beautiful scenery during the Minoan civilization. These reflections led me to reconsider the state of our modern society thousands of years later, which then became the starting point for this collection.”
“During my research, I was struck by the appearance of armour from this period excavated from ancient ruins. It was so beautiful that I could scarcely believe it had been designed for combat.
I found myself wondering why beauty was necessary for a garment intended for use in war. Seeking answers, I visited the Musée de l'Armée in Paris to investigate the evolution of men's clothing over the past 5,000 years. I noticed that the decorative elements of battle wear are gradually eliminated as societies grow more civilized and technology continues to develop. As a result, repeated advances in functionality and rationality have culminated in the current style of military wear. Interestingly, these garments have served as prototypes for much of the clothing we wear today.”
In the process of creating this collection, I came across the Japanese word utakata, which means “ephemeral”.
This word seemed to express the exact opposite of the trend seen in the evolution of men's clothing, where functionality and durability are increasingly valued and prioritized. What I wanted to convey with this collection was a sort of ephemeral armour—much like a delicate bubble formed on the surface of the water, capable of vanishing in the blink of an eye. This approach also represents a release from or renunciation of battle. Through the contradictory existence of delicate, fragile armour created by textiles shredded and reclaimed from worn-out uniforms and workwear and decorated with ceramics, glass, and platinum, this collection shows the evolution of clothing that could have been otherwise. It is also an attempt to fuse the delicate and fragile handwork elements of couture with the evolutionary path followed by men's clothing that has continued since ancient times. The fact that men appear on the stage of haute couture wearing these garments serves to embody our present era through its re-examination of the concept of toxic masculinity.
Lastly, this show was created together with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui as sort of a non-verbal communication with modern society. There are no set answers, and the collection allows for various interpretations” as stated by Yuima Nakazato.
