Yohji Yamamoto (1943-Present)
Yohji Yamamoto is a Japanese designer who is based in Tokyo and Paris. He is well known for his tailoring skills and new, clean, and crisp designs. He is known to be one of the few designers where all ages from seventeen to sixty, finds his designs appealing and “cool.” He has made an amazing name for himself and has several lines within his brand, and even his own magazine called A MAGAZINE. I chose Yamamoto because I love how dark his designs are and how well they are made.
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Biography
Photo courtesy of New York Times
Yohji Yamamoto was born in Yokohama, Japan in 1943 making him 69 this year. He won a competition to travel to Paris in which he spent nine months attempting to sell his fashion sketches to designers and magazines but failed to sell even one. He later returned to Tokyo with even bigger ideas for his next ready-to-wear line. He started making clothes for his mother’s friends and eventually for his own collections. He attracted a Japanese buyer with one of his collection that consisted entirely of raincoats and soon has orders flowing in for his designs. Yamamoto worked as a freelance designer for several years before opening up his own company in 1972. Yamamoto created garments that were loose and flows, comfortable, and chic which was the exact opposite of the styles coming out of Paris at that time. He was bringing something different to the table and had a massive positive response to his designs. In the mid-70’s, he starts collaborating with Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo, whom he would romantically get involved with. Both designers are still in a relationship to this day. Her picture is to the right.
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In 1981, he opened up his own boutique in Paris and his designs took Paris by storm. No one has ever seen such dark, billowing, and layered clothing until he showed up and his designs were now a success worldwide. His clothing line “Y’s” and “Y’s for Men” carry luxury pieces from tops, bottoms, dresses, and accessories such as shoes, scarves, hats, and jewelry. He is still designing today and even collaborated with Adidas in 2000 for a one-season sneaker deal. His plan is to create the “sneaker-heel” which is a huge step for Adidas and Yamamoto himself. A picture of one of the sneaker-heels is to the left.
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Before Yohji Yamamoto, dressmakers were seen as humble tradesmen, but to Yamamoto, he felt that designing clothes was as creative a calling as being an artist. Yamamoto is ALL ABOUT QUALITY. Even though his designes are elegant, sophisticated, and show-stopping, the thing that Yamamoto prizes the most about his garments are his use of fabrics, which he only used fabrics made by the family run Chiso mill in Kyoto which was established in 1555 when it made monks’ clothing alongside the finest ceremonial robes and kimonos. Yamamoto’s signature is his enlarged, colorless silhouettes with layers and multiple textures. Yamamoto is known as an uncompromising and non-traditionalist sculptural designer with contemporary designs. Over the years, Yamamoto’s have become more fitted for couture but he still keeps his signature designs around. Yamamoto is inspired by quality therefore does not like the trend of “fast-fashion” such as H&M or Forever 21 because they take away the quality of clothing. He explained his opinion through quotes in an interview with Women’s Wear Daily;
“Be careful.…You don’t need to be [shopping at fast-fashion stores], especially
young people. They are beautiful naturally, because they are young. So they
should even wear simple jeans and a T-shirt. It’s enough.”
“Don’t be too much fashionable.…The brand advertising is making you crazy.
You don’t need to be too sexy. You are sexy enough."
And my personal favorite;
“Let me talk like an old man. Young people, be careful. Beautiful things are
disappearing every day.”
“Be careful.…You don’t need to be [shopping at fast-fashion stores], especially
young people. They are beautiful naturally, because they are young. So they
should even wear simple jeans and a T-shirt. It’s enough.”
“Don’t be too much fashionable.…The brand advertising is making you crazy.
You don’t need to be too sexy. You are sexy enough."
And my personal favorite;
“Let me talk like an old man. Young people, be careful. Beautiful things are
disappearing every day.”
Critical Analysis
The 1970’s was a decade that focused on movements, equal civil rights, and depression. The Great Depression happened this time so the nation was going through a tough time. African-Americans, gays, and women were fighting for their rights and movements like anti-war protests, and environmentalism, feminism, and youth suffrage were stirring up. The 70’s were rough but through cinema and music, the 70’s had a positive side. Grease is one of the biggest hits that happened in the 70’s, with iconic “bad boys” in leather jackets and grease in their hair. They were edgy, and rebellious, just like Yamamoto himself. Yamamoto does not listen to trends, but does whatever he wants to do. Being the rebel that he is, he went the opposite direction of couture wear in Paris at the time and avoided doing bright colors with typical silhouettes. He uses a dark palette which expresses the dark side of the times and the flair in his designs also reflects the flair clothing in the disco outfits of the 70’s. He never really looks for inspiration in other designers besides Rei Kawakubo, but only in himself.
Yohji Yamamoto is an icon because of his asymmetrical, oversized silhouettes, black colors, drapery, textures and the avant-garde spirit in his designs that no other designer does. He has created garments after garments using the same theme and design ethic but none of them look the same. They are all individually unique and expresses a different emotion. He is able to go against the biggest trends to create his own and successfully market his products. He really sets the example that you cannot always do what people expect you to do, and to always stick to what you are passionate about. His use of truly luxurious fabrics is inspiring and reflects his passion for quality. This belief has inspired other designers to use more quality in their designs as well.
Yohji Yamamoto is an icon because of his asymmetrical, oversized silhouettes, black colors, drapery, textures and the avant-garde spirit in his designs that no other designer does. He has created garments after garments using the same theme and design ethic but none of them look the same. They are all individually unique and expresses a different emotion. He is able to go against the biggest trends to create his own and successfully market his products. He really sets the example that you cannot always do what people expect you to do, and to always stick to what you are passionate about. His use of truly luxurious fabrics is inspiring and reflects his passion for quality. This belief has inspired other designers to use more quality in their designs as well.
His designs are dark and ignites a fire in you when you see it down the runway. Yamamoto is a designer who truly cares about his designs and the quality them come in, so buying one of his pieces is worth every penny. His design aesthetics were similar to Rei Kawakubo; they would both have many zippers, pockets, and other extra details in their designs that normally would not be where they are. The way Yamamoto drapes his clothes unstructured, loose, and dramatic is the core reason why he is such an iconic designer.
Analysis of Future Trends
With such dedication to his creations and perfect execution in creating these garments, it is hard not to follow Yohji Yamamoto's footsteps for a successful and beautiful collection. Yamamoto has inspired many other designers with his design ethics, including his own daughter, Limi Feu. Although she never wanted to be a designer at first, she eventually came around to follow her father's trends. You can see a lot of his influences in her designs including, dark colors, asymmetry, flowy, and androgyny. Like father, like daughter, Feu sticks to a similar design ethic as her father and it reflects beautifully on the runway. After a look at one of her shows, you would have though you saw Yamamoto's! The images below are from her second runway show in Paris.
Yamamoto has set significant trends that will always be around. One of his trends is actually not following popular trends. Instead, he says that he wants, “timeless elegance” and has achieved just that. His garments have withstood time with his clean lines, quality material, and layering. Many designers before were scared to produce garments that would not appeal to the public, but Yamamoto does not care because he designs for art, not money. A tremendous amount of time goes into each garment and tailored perfectly onto a human body. Yamamoto is also well known for his tailored garments and drapery. He has the ability to create outfits that look and move effortlessly. Since it looks stunning on the runway, many other designers have started doing this approach.
This is how Yamamoto has created a lasting signature silhouette in the fashion industry. His clothing appears as if constantly being blown by the wind because they move so effortlessly. Before him, nobody dared to create the clean, well-tailored, dark, and oversized looks like he did. He is so precise about the execution of the garments and it pays off beautifully in the end. I personally own a lot of similar items that Yamamoto has produced because I love the all black look. My closet contains mostly black clothes and I personally like to go for the well-tailored look as well. My blazers remind me of him because they are fitted to the body so well and they have multiple buttons and zippers that Yamamoto likes to add to his garments. Although my clothing does not have the enhanced silhouettes that Yamamoto has, there are still elements in his designs that reflect in my wardrobe. His style is hard to ignore and can be seen on many celebrities, and even your average joe. This is why Yohji Yamamoto has created a lasting impact on the fashion industry.
Citations
- Bhasin, Kim. "Legendary Designer Yohji Yamamoto: 'Brand Advertising Is Making You Crazy."Business Insider. Business Insider, 1
- . "Yohji Yamamoto." Fashion Model Directory. Fashion Model Directory. Web. 19 Nov 2012.
- . "Rei Kawakubo." The New York Times. The New York Times. Web. 19 Nov 2012.
- . Yohji Yamamoto. 2010. Style Sight, Paris. Web. 19 Nov 2012. <http://blog.stylesight.com/runway/yohji-yamamoto-2>.
- Yohji Yamamoto. 2012. Style Sight, Paris. Web. 19 Nov 2012. <http://blog.stylesight.com/runway/yohji-yamamoto-10>.
- Grad School Profile: School of the Art Institute of Chicago. 2011. Worn Through, Chicago. Web. 19 Nov 2012.
- P., Dora. Limi Feu, a true Yamamoto. 2008. Fashion Directory, Paris. Web. 19 Nov 2012. <http://girldir.com/news-events/limi-feu-
- Adidas Y-3. 2012. AdidasWeb. 30 Nov 2012. <http://www.adidas.com/us/content/Y3>.
- YOHJI YAMAMOTO. N.d. VogueWeb. 30 Nov 2012. <http://www.vogue.com/voguepedia/Yohji_Yamamoto>.
- Show Review: Jean Paul Gaultier Fall 2011 Couture. N.d. Fashion Bomb DailyWeb. 30 Nov 2012.
- , ed. "Yohji Yamamoto." The New York Times. The New York Times, 29 2012. Web. 29 Oct 2012.