Beyond the confines of a fashion designer

—You've also been active as a costume designer for stage productions like EXILE and the film "Lupin the 3rd." What were your thoughts on deciding to participate in Haute Couture…?

Yuima Nakazato (hereinafter, Nakazato)Stage costumes are only seen by those who attend the theater. I wanted more people to see my work. Costume production, like haute couture, is one-of-a-kind. I felt it was a fitting stage for my challenge.






—The pieces were voluminous dresses made by hand-connecting small units. They were truly couture, crafted with intricate techniques.

NakazatoEach dress uses 300 parts. It takes many hours to create just one.

—Why are there long prosthetic arms hanging from the models' shoulders?

NakazatoThey were made with 3D printing. Eventually, bodies will also be designed in 3D. This is the first step.

—It took quite some time before your participation was decided, didn't it?

NakazatoAt first, I wrote letters myself and sent my work. But that wasn't enough. A recommender was needed, so I wrote to designers and journalists to ask for letters. I was sent a list of several foreign designers who are members of the Chambre Syndicale, and a recommendation from one of them was required… They were all established designers, and I had never met any of them. There was one designer whose lecture I had attended at a school in Antwerp. I enclosed a commemorative photo taken together with him. It was lucky. That was the deciding factor.


—What are your impressions of your first participation?



NakazatoThe Paris collections are incredible. The reactions come back to you immediately. It was a completely new sensation. If possible, I'd like to continue.

—What are your dreams for the future?

NakazatoI don't want to be confined to the category of just a fashion designer. Like the art director Eiko Ishioka, my dream is to design spaces themselves.

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After the Interview

Dressed in black, he made a refined first impression. His parents are a stage costume designer and a sculptor, both active in their fields. His childhood home was practically an art studio. It's a DNA that makes perfect sense.