Milan hosts the exhibition "Yohji Yamamoto. Letter to the Future"
Twenty-five dresses tell the story of Yohji Yamamoto's ambivalent and poetic relationship with time. The first Italian exhibition dedicated to the Japanese designer takes place in Milan at Carla Sozzani's concept store at 10 Corso Como.
On May 16, takes place the first Italian exhibition dedicated to the Japanese designer, "Yohji Yamamoto. Letter to the Future." One of the most influential people in the fashion world, curator Alessio de'Navasquez has selected 25 archival pieces from Yohji Yamamoto's collection, spanning the period from 1986 to 2024, for the exhibition.
An asynchronous flow of shapes, asymmetry and materials showcase garments that have made fashion history. For example, the iconic faux pendant red silk coat from fall-winter 1986-87, which creates a direct dialog with garments from Yamamoto's latest collection, fall-winter 2023-24. Or the felt that turns into origami in the fall-winter 1996-97 collection.
After graduating from university law school in 1966, Yohji Yamamoto enrolled in a fashion design course at the renowned Bunkafukuso Gakuin, Tokyo's leading fashion institute. Despite his manual labor and craft skills, he began his career as an unnamed designer around 1970. In 1977, he presented his first collection under the label Y's, which was later retained as the fashion house's second line. In 1984, Yamamoto launched a men's line following the same stylistic principles.
Y's, Yohji Yamamoto, Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme и Costume D'Homme, Y's for men SHIRTS, Red Label и Black Label, Gothic Yohji Yamamoto Homme, Haute Couture are just some of the many labels created over the years by the brand. Yamamoto's experimentalism, his dark romanticism, punk and Victorianism infused with Asian cultural traditions such as classic Japanese anime have appeared in various collections of the Pour Homme line.
Together with adidas, the Y-3 brand emerged in 2003 under the direction of Nick Galway, who later also collaborated with Kanye West on the Yeezy model. This collaboration was revolutionary: it was the first time a haute couture designer created a sportswear line with an industry icon brand, balancing two aesthetic codes so far apart. Completely different from the stretch and skate phenomenon of the '90s, Yohji's clean lines met the design and functionality of the three-stripe brand. The label foreshadowed future adidas collaborations with Raf Simons and Rick Owens, as well as Jun Takahashi and Nike.
"Fashion has become boring. I went too far into the street world. [...] At that time, New York businessmen started wearing sneakers with suits. It was weird, but at the same time incredibly exciting, a hybrid."
