Yuima Nakazato Haute Couture SS26 at Paris Couture Week

Yuima Nakazato Haute Couture SS26 / Spring/Summer 2026 at Paris Couture Week entitled Silent.

“Throughout history, across all cultures, humans have drawn inspiration from nature—plants and animals alike—to create patterns and forms for clothing. Fundamentally, this is because humans have always perceived a primal beauty in nature, desiring not only to wear it but to become a part of it. Come to think of it, the very first garment I designed as a high school student was inspired by tree rings. In pursuit of the origins of clothing, and of my own identity, I decided to visit Yakushima, an island in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, where ancient Yakusugi cedar trees have lived for thousands of years.

a landscape devoid of anything artificial, under the moonlight, I touched the streamlined stones carved by river currents and the tree rings of driftwood. As I reflected on the immense span of time that transcends human intellect, a desire began to grow within me to replicate these forms with my own hands. This experience became the inspiration for this collection.

During the six-month production period, I continuously sought ways to recreate the scenery I witnessed on Yakushima. I personally spent over 1,500 hours working with clay. As I crafted thousands of ceramic pieces, my fingers gradually learned the movement of the earth, and streamlined shapes began to emerge naturally from my hands. The sensation of losing track of time, of body and clay becoming one as forms came into being, felt very close to the experience I had on Yakushima—of being immersed in the vast flow of time and existing as part of an ecosystem.

Finally, I chose not to add music to this show. More precisely, there *is* sound: the resonance produced when garments made of ceramic sway and move. It might be described as the sound of the earth itself, as if awakening memories from the time when soil first came into being on this planet.

Today, we live surrounded by electronic sounds streaming through headphones and by the glow of screens, constantly absorbing information. That is why, during the fifteen minutes of this fashion show, I invite you to direct your attention to the unstable, subtle sounds created by the garments before you, and to the breath of the bodies wearing them. I would be honoured if the landscape I experienced in the silence of Yakushima could be shared with you through these garments.”

Words by Yuima Nakazato

Techniques of Yuima Nakazato Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2026 / SS26:

By using EPSON’s digitally output transparent ink on fabric, YUIMA NAKAZATO discovered that natural fibre fabrics do not fray when cut. This combines the delicate texture of natural silk with a sharp visual aesthetic created by the raw, unhemmed edges, resulting in an unprecedented form of expression. While ink is traditionally used to print patterns and create visual designs, we intentionally chose transparent ink to highlight a new expression of silk. Although the transparent ink is invisible to the eye, its presence is certain, making this new vision for the dress a reality.

Since 2022, YUIMA NAKAZATO has been working with EPSON on a project to recycle garments into new materials using Dry Fiber Technology. For this project, we used second-hand clothing collected from around the world in Kenya as part of the raw material. By combining EPSON’s latest technology for processing these into new materials with traditional Japanese lacquer (Urushi) techniques passed down since ancient times, we have succeeded in creating a truly unique and original material. Together with technologies that continue to evolve, we pursue new forms of expression and bridge them to the future.