Can Haute Couture be reimagined out of the polluting flames of dumped fast fashion?

Only the second Japanese designer ever invited to Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week, Yuima Nakazato, known for his ethereal designs and for dressing music stars such as Lady Gaga and Fergie, becomes dedicated to merging his unique artistic vision with sustainable, green technology.

Beginning his 2023 Paris Collection in the landfills of Kenya, Nakazato sets about a radical reimagining of fashion materials.

Confronting the impact of western ‘recycling’ programs, the scale of which cannot be absorbed by local demand, we find ourselves instead in high rise sized piles of clothes being burned off. This pollution only compounding the environmental destruction of climate change.

Nakazato also visits local businesses countering this impact. Questions are asked on how traditional textile industries are faring when in every market and rubbish dump there are discarded clothes of the developed world? He also travels to rural Kenya where the stunning materials and designs of local textiles are still alive.

Back in the Studio, Nakazato and his team face a sometimes-overwhelming challenge as they race against time to innovate a sustainable material for designs worthy of the Paris catwalk.