The future of fashion co-created with YUIMA NAKAZATO
Epson provided production support for some of the pieces in UTAKATA, Yuima Nakazato's new collection, which debuted at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2024.
An Epson digital textile printer and Epson's Dry Fiber Technology1 were utilized in this collection to print fabrics and to produce and print on non-woven fabrics made from used clothing.
List of Garments Using Digital Texteile Prints and Non-woven Fabric Produced Using DFT1
©Gio Staiano
Yuima Nakazato's Pursuit of Print Expression and Quality
For the new collection, an Epson Monna Lisa digital textile printer was used mainly to print on silk organdy fabrics. While previous collections showcased designs with bright blues and reds, this latest collection featured many monochrome-based costumes. Photo-based graphics data were reproduced on silk organdy fabric with the kind of exquisite gradations that only digital printing can deliver. The result is an aura that is unlike that of conventional prints. An ML-13000 digital textile printer (prototype) that was unveiled at ITMA in June 2023 was used for some of the prints, in pursuit of a finish in which the original suppleness of the fabric is retained even after printing.
This collection is officially linked to Idomeneo, an opera composed by Mozart in 1781 that is playing at the Grand Theater Geneve in Switzerland. Mr. Nakazato got his inspiration for these designs after visiting the Greek island of Crete, where his mind wandered over the history of the region and he was captivated by the beauty of armor that had been excavated from ancient ruins. The theme of the collection is utakata, meaning "ephemeral." We tried to create prints that could reproduce Mr. Nakazato's thoughts and feelings.
©Gio Staiano
©Gio Staiano
Non-Woven Fabric Production and Digital Textile Printing
Non-woven fabric sheets were also created and used for costumes in this collection. In contrast to the previous black-based blended fabrics, single 100% cotton non-woven fabric sheets were produced in two colors, kahki and beige, by finding and using fabrics of each color for this collection. In addition, the surface of the fabric was printed with Monna Lisa pigment ink.
At YUIMA NAKAZATO, the non-woven fabric sheets were reinforced and their design appeal improved through stitching and rivets that were used to reinforce areas in the fabric where rope and string would pass.
Although these activities are still in the experimental stage, we will continue to produce works that combine Epson's Dry Fiber Technology1 and digital printing technology with Mr. Nakazato's creations during our partnership.
©Gio Staiano
1 Proprietary Epson technology for defibrating a wide variety of materials for high-function applications. For more information, please see Epson's website.
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