At Paris Haute Couture Week, Yuima Nakazato unveiled its latest couture Spring/Summer 2026 collection “SILENT", with Epson providing technical support for the collection.
Through garments printed with Epson’s digital textile printing technology, as well as ceramic pieces individually crafted over more than 1,500 hours of clay work, designer Yuima Nakazato expressed the timeless beauty of nature in Yakushima, Japan.
By printing transparent ink onto white silk organdy, Epson and Nakazato discovered that natural fibre fabrics fray minimally when cut, opening up new possibilities in garment assembly. This approach simplified edge finishing while accentuating the fabric’s delicate texture and sharp visual aesthetic, resulting in an unprecedented form of expression.
The collection also explored a new approach to heel shoes: using Dry Fibre Technology (DFT), recycled non-woven fabric sheets made from used garments and mill ends were finished with Urushi lacquer, a traditional Japanese craft and tin powder to achieve a unique texture.
The technology used to produce this collection is also cleaner than traditional textile printing because it uses less water, generates less waste, and allows production of only the volume of items needed. Moreover, the pigment inks used do not require steaming or washing treatments after printing.
Nakazato and Epson entered into a partnership in 2022 and have continued to collaborate, exploring new possibilities in sustainable fashion by combining creativity with environmental responsibility.
While Nakazato aims to bring the joy of one-of-a-kind garments to people around the world, Epson aims to reduce the environmental impact of clothing production by transforming the value chain through more efficient technologies, workflow innovations, and technical research, and by implementing an optimal mode of production that can deliver more personalised designs than the conventional method of mass-producing the same designs.
