Throughout history, across all cultures, humans have drawn inspiration from nature—plants and animals alike—to create patterns and forms for clothing. Fundamentally, this is because humans have always perceived a primal beauty in nature, desiring not only to wear it but to become a part of it. Come to think of it, the very first garment I designed as a highschool student was inspired by tree rings. In pursuit of the origins of clothing, and of my own identity, I decided to visit Yakushima, an island in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, where ancient Yakusugi cedar trees have lived for thousands of years.
In a landscape devoid of anything man-made, under the moonlight, I touched the streamlined stones carved by river currents and the tree rings of driftwood. As I reflected on the immense span of time that transcends human intellect, a desire began to grow within me to replicate these forms with my own hands. This experience became the inspiration for this collection.
During the six-month production period, I continuously sought ways to recreate the scenery I witnessed on Yakushima. I personally spent over 1,500 hours working with clay. As I crafted thousands of ceramic pieces, my fingers gradually learned the movement of the earth, and streamlined shapes began to emerge naturally from my hands. The sensation of losing track of time, of body and clay becoming one as forms came into being, felt very close to the experience I had on Yakushima—of being immersed in the vast flow of time and existing as part of an ecosystem.
Finally, I chose not to add music to this show. More precisely, there *is* sound: the resonance produced when garments made of ceramic sway and move. It might be described as the sound of the earth itself, as if awakening memories from the time when soil first came into being on this planet.
Today, we live surrounded by electronic sounds streaming through headphones and by the glow of screens, constantly absorbing information. That is why, during the fifteen minutes of this fashion show, I invite you to direct your attention to the unstable, subtle sounds created by the garments before you, and to the breath of the bodies wearing them. I would be honoured if the landscape I experienced in the silence of Yakushima could be shared with you through these garments.
–Yuima Nakazato
古今東西、人間は植物や動物など、自然をモチーフに衣服の柄や造形を考えてきた歴史がある。それは根源的に、人間がそこに美というものを感じ、そしてそれを身に纏い、さらにはその一部になりたいと願ってきたからに他ならない。そう言えば、私が高校生のころに人生で初めてデザインした服は、年輪をモチーフにしたものだった。衣服の根源の追求と、私自身のアイデンティティの追求から、数千年に渡り屋久杉が生き続ける日本の鹿児島県、屋久島を訪れることにした。
月明かりの下、人工物の一切ない無い景色の中で、川の水流により削り取られ、立ち現れた流線形の石や流木の年輪に触れ、人智を越えた時間の長さへ想いを馳せていると、次第にそれらを自らの手で模倣してみたいという感情が芽生えていった。この体験が今回のインスピレーションとなった。
コレクション制作期間6ヶ月の間、屋久島で見た景色を再現する方法を模索し続けた。私自身約1500時間以上を粘土作業にかけ、数千個の陶器のパーツを作る中で、次第に指が土の動きを覚え、自然と流線形の造形が手から現れてくるようになっていった。時間を忘れて土と体が一体化し、形が生まれていくような感覚は、まるで屋久島で体感した途方もなく長い時間の流れと生態系の一部に自らがいるという感覚にとても近いものがあったように思う。
最後に、このショーにはあえて音楽をつけなかった。正確には、そこには陶器でできた服が揺れ動く際に鳴り響く音がある。地球に土という存在が誕生したころの記憶を呼び覚ますような、大地の音と言えるかもしれない。
今日、私たちはヘッドフォンから常に電子音を聞き、液晶画面の光に囲まれ、様々な情報に触れ続ける生活を送っている。だからこそ、このファッションショーが行われる15分の間、目の前の服達が奏でる不安定で些細な音と、それを纏う身体の息吹きに意識を向けてみてほしい。私が屋久島の静寂の中で体感した景色が、衣服を通じて少しでも共有できれば嬉しい。
–中里唯馬
