YOHJI YAMAMOTO - RENEGADES OF FASHION

Book excerpt: Yohji Yamamoto is a man who understands the power of endurance. The product of a Japanese culture ravaged by war, the progressive designer has built his 50-some year career on perseverance and a refusal to bend to the will of tradition. From his initial struggles as an emerging designer to his incendiary debut on the world stage, all the way through to the near collapse of his company in the wake of the global financial crisis, Yamamoto has overcome every obstacle in his path - and always on his own terms. Today, his eponymous brand offering both men's and women's clothing remains his most commercially successful venture alongside the popular sub-label Y's and youth line Ground Y to its' principal lines Pour Homme and Costume D'Homme. In 2018 the brand evolved yet again expanding into a line of perfume. His innovation has led to groundbreaking collaborations and pop culture moments, working alongside household names of fashion, reinventing icons Like Dr Martins whilst dressing icons of entertainment from Tina Turner to Elton John. Most particularly his trailblazing Y-3 range with street-sports giant Adidas, spurned a new wave of cross-genre collaborations paving the way for the now billion dollar athleisure industry. Raised by his mother, who worked as a dressmaker. Yamamoto found himself identifying more with the women of his life. His compassion for the opposite gender would eventually present itself through the construction of his couture. His collections are built primarily around the comfort and confidence clothing can provide for women, uninterested in presenting them as objects of male desire.