The American model Lauren Wasser, legs amputee, presented an art piece made with brewed protein from the Japanese start-up Spiber, on the occasion of the designer Yuima Nakazato's Spring-Summer 2021 haute couture collection, unveiled on January 28. 

By Ludmilla Intravaia 

In this article : 

• Lauren Wasser, muse of Yuima Nakazato 

• Yuima Nakazato's biosmocking technology 

• Biofabrication with Brewed Protein from Spiber 

• Atlas, SS21 collection by Yuima Nakazato 

• Cosmos and Birth by Yuima Nakazato 

“Yeah, I am the future.” Lauren Wasser does not doubt it: to the question of the Japanese designer Yuima Nakazato who wants to know if, according to her, “fashion will ascend to a new level by merging with the medical field”, the American model answers by the affirmative. If the young woman is so categorical, it is because she speaks from experience. She had both legs amputated, suffering in 2012 from toxic shock syndrome, a particular form of septic shock caused, in her case, by the use of a periodic tampon. 

Since then, Lauren Wasser, who campaigns for public awareness of the danger of TSS, continues to walk the runways, wearing two prostheses, like that of Rihanna's Savage X Fenty lingerie show, in 2019 (more info in this Boudoir Numérique article). 

Having become the muse of the new haute couture collection from Yuima Nakazato, she develops her toughts in the video presentation of the Spring-Summer 2021 season, unveiled on January 28, on the online platform of Paris Haute Couture Week. “Having two legs and then having the legs that I have now, I can definitely tell you that technology has been instrumental to the woman that I have become”, she explains, while the camera slides over her prostheses: “Being able to move the way that I do, run the way that I do, I definitely feel like we are all going to need some sort of technology to advance us to being better beings in the future and I am just ahead of the curve.” 

Technology, a word carrying meaning for the creator Yuima Nakazato. This fashion graduate of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, integrated into the Parisian haute couture calendar since 2016 with his eponymous brand launched in 2009, relies on innovation and traditional know-how to create clothes with unique essence. For his latest collection, Yuima Nakazato delivered an exceptional piece, based on his proprietary technology called biosmocking. 

As stated in the brand's press release, the biosmocking process, “a textile-modeling method for creating three-dimensional textures, utilizes digital fabrication to precisely control the super contraction property of specially-tailored Brewed Protein textiles, and makes it possible to bring an entirely new sense of depth to garments.”

The silhouette's textile is obtained by biofabrication, from the Brewed Protein material, fermented proteins developed by the Japanese start-up Spiber. Offering endless possibilities for changes in shape, this material is being part of Yuima Nakazato's clothing production philosophy, aiming to be “free from the traditional constraints posed by needle and thread”. 

This clothing production system called Type-1 “is instantly customizable, easily repairable, and flexible enough for users to adjust the shape and size of garments to adapt to changes in body shape.” Watch Lauren Wasser's silhouette evolve according to the inspiration of Yuima Nakazato, in the visuals below (©Yuima Nakazato).

Below, discover the video presentation of Yuima Nakazato's Spring-Summer 2021 haute couture collection. 

This is not the first time that Yuima Nakazato has worked with this sustainable material, an alternative to petro-sourced and from animal origin materials, harmful to the environment and to sentient beings. Spiber's Brewed Protein, used in clothing, transport, construction, artificial hair and medical devices, was in the spotlight at the brand's Cosmos Spring-Summer 2020 haute couture show in January. 2020 (see below). 

Below, this behind the scenes of the Cosmos show will show you more about Yuima Nakazato's creative technique. 

The proteins brewed by Spiber, allowing to obtain yarns of a great diversity, delicate like silk, soft like cashmere, warm like wool or resinous like tortoise shell or animal horn, have also been used by Yuima Nakazato for his Fall-Winter 2019-2020 Birth collection, unveiled in August 2019, in Paris (see below). 

* More infos on Yuima Nakazato website. And on Spiber website. 

* The Paris Haute Couture Week Spring - Summer 2021 took place from January 25 to 28, 2021. Its online platform can be accessed here.

* Continue reading on Le Boudoir Numérique:

- Paris Haute Couture Week SS 2021 – Lauren Wasser, muse of Yuima Nakazato X Spiber biofabrication

- Paris Haute Couture Week SS21 – Kinetic crowns by Iris van Herpen

- Julien Fournié: "Thanks to the iPad Pro, my clients discover the accidentality of my drawing stroke"

- Paris Fashion Week Menswear F-W 21/22: Drones at Botter presentation

- Milan Fashion Week Menswear F-W 21/22: Sunnei expands its virtual universe with a video game