Yuima Nakazato to be the focus of a new exhibition

Japanese avant-garde fashion designer Yuima Nakazato is the focus of an exhibition coming to the Museum of Lace and Fashion in Calais, France this year.

‘Yuima Nakazato Beyond Couture’ will run from June 15, 2024, to January 5, 2025, and will showcase how the Japanese designer’s work intersects innovation, tradition, and cutting-edge technology, alongside how he develops sustainable fashion inspired by the creativity of haute couture and traditional Japanese techniques.

Born in Japan in 1985, Yuima Nakazato graduated from the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Belgium) in 2008, and won numerous awards, including the Innovation Award in 2008 for his graduate collection, which introduced the origami technique into fashion. Since 2016, he has shown his collections twice a year in Paris during Haute Couture Fashion Week, becoming only the second Japanese fashion designer, after Hanae Mori, to be part of the prestigious Parisian event.

The exhibition will feature more than 50 garments from Nakazato’s couture collections from 2016 to 2024, highlighting the designer's progressive and sustainable approach and the techniques he uses from Eastern and Western craftsmanship, as well as inspiration mainly drawn by nature, such as the song of whales, the red lava of volcanoes, and the beauty of landscapes.

Nakazato’s garments will be shown alongside accessories, fashion sketches, technical drawings, fabric samples, fashion photos and videos explaining his creative process, such as developing innovative textiles and manufacturing processes.