Yuima Nakazato’s Fall/Winter 2024-2025 haute couture collection is a magnificent tribute to human fragility inspired by his work on the opera Idomeneo by Mozart, just opened at Paris Haute Couture Week. The collection, appropriately named « Clouds, » tells a story of fashion and art centered on the transitory beauty of the clouds. The event began with a visually stunning stage design that transformed the eerie beauty of clouds into beautiful theatrical garb. Nakazato recreated comparable « arteries » with sophisticated techniques including fringing, threadwork, and digital prints, deriving inspiration from the opera’s use of crimson ropes as a symbol for human weakness. These particulars represent the frail and transient nature of human existence.
The outfits were nothing short of masterpieces. Ceremonial robes and armor-like fittings mirrored both ancient Greek aesthetics and the metaphorical masks we wear every day. As the models moved, layers of black clothing peeled away, revealing complex, web-like patterns beneath—a tribute to the fragility buried within. Sculptural patterns included uneven pleats and open backs, while Nakazato’s characteristic hand-cast ceramics, worn as jewelry and incorporated into clothes, offered a sense of battle-ready richness. Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui choreographed the collection’s climax, which featured dancers wearing Nakazato-designed porcelain pendants. The clinking of these pendants produced a primal soundscape that contrasted with the classical music, heightening the collection’s thematic depth. In addition to demonstrating his technical prowess with this series, Nakazato poignantly addressed the transient nature of force and beauty. His use of dance, music, and fashion was a profound commentary on human weakness and ushered in a magnificent new period of haute couture.
