Epson has teamed up with famous Japanese fashion designer Yuima Nakazato and his brand YUIMA NAKAZATO at the Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week to showcase new, sustainable designs.
Epson’s digital textile printing technology was used to bring to life Nakazato’s unique creative vision, while a new sustainable textile production process was employed to produce some of the items.
This new process, called Epson’s dry fiber technology, transforms used garments into printable non-woven fabric using a low-water, commercially-proven method of recycling office paper. This marked the start of a three-year partnership between Epson and YUIMA NAKAZATO aimed at producing high-quality custom garments with low impact on the environment.
Both companies aim to raise awareness about water and material waste caused by excessive production and to demonstrate how digital textile printing using environmentally-friendly inks is a more sustainable option for the fashion industry. The fabric used for Nakazato’s latest collection was sourced from discarded garments from Africa.
Nakazato collected 150KG of waste material in Kenya, which Epson turned into over 50 meters of new, re-fiberized fabric using its dry fiber process and Mona Lisa digital printing technology.
Epson’s Printing Solutions Division believes this technology could offer a more sustainable future for the fashion industry, significantly reducing water use while enabling designers to freely express their creativity. The companies plan to continue exploring ways to make the fashion industry more sustainable.
Epson’s Hitoshi Igarashi, said, “Epson’s Environmental Vision is committed to contributing to a circular economy, and this development could be one step towards achieving this. Dry fibre technology applied to the fashion industry offers the possibility of producing material for new clothes that have been recycled from used garments.”
