Designer of the week is Yohji Yamamoto. At a young age, he had an eye for fashion. However, for his family, he went for a legal degree. It wasn't too long, he gave up his legal career to assist his mother in her dressmaking business. This contributed to his tailoring skills that we see today. Graduated from Keio University, Tokyo in 1966, follow by Bunkafukuso Gakuin, school of fashion, Tokyo in 1969. That same year, he received two leading fashion awards, the So-en Award and the Endo Award. This recognition helped him in finally establishing his company by 1972 called Y's Company LTD. Eagerly, he presented his first collection in Tokyo by 1977 follow by presenting his first brand called YOHJI YAMAMOTO in 1981 during Paris fashion week.
Next was New York by 1982. You can say, Yamamoto was full of creativity that it just exploded through his finder tips. So much so that his first menswear came soon after in 1984. Yohji Yamamoto continues to spread his revolutionary, ever-widening sphere of influence in fashion, driven by his rebellious spirit. Yamamoto became known for his avant-garde tailoring featuring Japanese design aesthetics. Each collection is greeted by the world with great uproar and applause. Yamamoto teamed up with Adidas as Creative Director of Y-3 in 2002. Yohji collections are predominately made in black, a colour which he has described as modest and arrogant at the same time. His Y's collection focused on a collection for women that reflected typical men's garments, with clothes cut in uncluttered shapes with washed fabrics and dark colors.
His main goal was to also make men's clothes for women. He loved the idea of a coat guarding and hiding a woman's body. He wanted to protect women's body from something. Maybe men's eyes or a cold wind. Whatever the case, he likes to point out that black is lazy and easy but mysterious at the same time. This is why his collections never get old with the amount of black that he has in them. Yamamoto is frequently creating designs far removed from current trends. However, Poor decisions by finance managers pushed the brand into debt which angers Yamamoto in 2009 which led to a company restructuring till 2010. During that time, Yamamoto's deep love for fashion grows. He was once asked if he would ever think of retiring. It is because of this love that he sees himself never retiring.
What makes Yamamoto different from other designers is the amount of passion you see in his work ethic, his designs, his story telling, and how he acts around his fellow teammates. What most don't know about Yamamoto is that he likes to start from the back of the garment and work his way to the from. Almost like saving the best for last type of moment. Yamamoto never strays away from his true esthetic. He is truly an inspirational designer.
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