The future of fashion co-created with YUIMA NAKAZATO

Mr. Nakazato continues to use fabrics containing Brewed Protein™ fibers¹ in his collections. For this collection, pigment ink was printed on a blend of Brewed Protein™ fibers¹ and cotton.

Normally in a dye based ink printing process, different types of inks are required for different types of fabric, and the types of ink that can be used on blends is limited. Unlike dye based inks, however, pigment inks are fixed to the fabric by applying heat. This characteristic allows them to be printed on a wider range of fabrics. In addition to printers that use dye based inks, Epson has developed printers equipped with pigment inks along with the necessary pre- and post-processing technologies. These printers were used to achieve vivid colors in the designs in the collection that were inspired by blood vessels. This was the first time that Epson had printed on fabrics containing Brewed Protein™ fibers¹. By using Epson's inkjet technology to accurately reproduce Mr. Nakazato’s designs on the fabrics of his choice, Epson helped to further expand the range of expression.

Mr. Nakazato said, "It is difficult for designers to find the right technique to express their vision on new fiber fabrics, and even if they want to take on the challenge, they may not be able to. For this collection, the challenge³ was met, and we were able to produce satisfying color expression. I believe that new challenges like this are realized not only by technology but also by the insights of the people involved.”

Spiber Inc. commented, "Brands using Brewed Protein™ fibers¹ have printed graphics on parts of their garments in the past, but this was the first time for a brand like YUIMA NAKAZATO to print a full pattern on the entire fabric. We believe that the success seen here will lead Spiber to recommend new processing expressions to brand owners and companies that are considering adopting Brewed Protein™ fibers¹.”

As it did previously, Epson provided support in the production of the garments by using Epson's Dry Fiber Technology². This time, a sewing factory that believes in our vision of resource circulation provided scrap materials for use in part of the non-woven fabric sheets. One of the key features of Dry Fiber Technology² is the ability to defibrate blended fabrics made up of several different materials.

These garments feature a gentle red and black gradations designed by Mr. Nakazato and printed on approximately 88 meters of ultra-thin silk organdy fabric. Their design, born from Mr. Nakazato’s delicate yet bold ideas, absolutely captivated the audience at the end of the show.

¹ Brewed Protein™ fiber, the only commercially-available offering within the emerging protein fiber category, is a unique product from Spiber’s revolutionary material platform. Produced through a precision fermentation process using plant-based ingredients and microbes, these innovative fibers deliver luxurious textiles with a distinct texture, while offering the potential to significantly reduce the environmental and ethical concerns associated with traditional animal-derived fibers like cashmere and silk. Spiber Inc., based in Yamagata, Japan develops and manufactures Brewed Protein™ fibers, which are attracting worldwide attention as a new category of material. Brewed Protein™ is a trademark or registered trademark of Spiber Inc., applicable in Japan and other countries.

² Proprietary Epson technology for defibrating a wide variety of materials for functional, high-performance applications with very little water. For details, please click on the link to the Dry Fiber Technology website.

³ For this collection, pigment ink was printed on a blend of Brewed Protein™ fibers¹ and cotton

Dry Fiber Technology