Vast quantities of discarded clothing are piling up in Kenya – a shameful reminder of the social injustices of our time.
Fashion designer Yuima Nakazato traveled to Kenya to see this phenomenon for himself. When he saw the masses of cheap and generic clothing remnants, he realized that there was no longer a need to produce completely new clothes. He decided to transport 150 kg of old clothes from Kenya to Japan and recycle these worthless textiles using a new dry fiber technology from Seiko Epson to give them a new life.
The garment on display is an excellent example of this innovative production process. By promoting gender-neutral designs, the project is also strongly committed to social inclusion.
Yuima Nakazato’s Spring/Summer 2023 collection also makes him the first Japanese designer to show at Paris Haute Couture Week.
Circular Creativity
To show how the industry can work more sustainably to curb climate change, innovative ideas such as those of Japanese fashion designer Yuima Nakazato were presented in the Transformation Lounge at the Ars Electronica Festival 2023. With his clothing, Yuima Nakazato creates a balance between craftsmanship and technology and develops approaches that could reduce the fashion industry’s environmental impact.
Photograph by Yasunari Kikuma
