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YUIMA NAKAZATO, GLACIER, kuvattu Hailuodossa maaliskuussa 2025. Kuva: Yuima Nakazato.

YUIMA NAKAZATO - GLACIER Three collections explore the Earth's fragility

The Oulu Art Museum is set to host the first Finnish solo exhibition by leading Japanese fashion designer Yuima Nakazato. The showcase features couture pieces from three collections – one of, which draws inspiration from the nature of Northern Finland. 
11.05.2026

Yuima Nakazato is an artist and fashion designer who combines pioneering textile technology with traditional Japanese craftsmanship in his work. Nakazato's collections are built as the result of his travels, where the designer deepens his understanding of local cultures and the heritage they carry.  

“When I explore the world – its landscapes, its cultures – I am also asking what we are losing and what we can still save. Every collection is an attempt to listen to the voice of the Earth," Nakazato says. 

While preparing the exhibition for the Oulu Art Museum, the designer travelled to Hailuoto and Inari. The frozen landscapes and Arctic conditions of the North inspired his autumn/winter 2025–26 collection, which was presented at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week in the summer of 2025. Alongside the clothing, artisanal ceramic jewellery and Nakazato's photographic works are also on display. Inspired by Finland, the central GLACIER collection shares its title with the exhibition and is presented alongside two earlier collections, FADE and INHERIT. The collection explores themes of human body, clothing, and their relation to nature, and impact on the environment. 

The extensive body of work is displayed in the museum's main exhibition space. The exhibition's artistic director is Yuima Nakazato, in collaboration with curator Pasi Räbinä. This exhibition is part of the European Capital of Culture programme.  

The artist in brief:  

Yuima Nakazato (born 1985, Tokyo) is an internationally acclaimed fashion designer and photographer. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and has been an official guest designer at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week since 2016. In addition, he designs costumes for opera and ballet productions and leads the FASHION FRONTIER PROGRAM, an educational programme aimed at emerging talent that addresses social responsibility and environmental issues in fashion design. 

Exhibition website: https://ouluntaidemuseo.fi/nayttely/yuima-nakazato/ 

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