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Gonzalezcerena 57680 7174894 Designer Profile Essay
Gonzalezcerena 57680 7174894 Designer Profile Essay
PROFILE: YOHJI
YAMAMOTO
Cerena C Gonzalez
Yohji Yamamoto was born in 1943 in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan to a widowed mother. In
the final stages of World War II, Yamamoto’s father had died in the war, leaving him fatherless
for all his life. His mother was a seamstress and had owned a small store in Kabukichou, an area
of Tokyo notorious for its entertainment and red-light district. Throughout his youth, Yamamoto
experienced a Japan that was working towards recovery and relief (Gonsalves, 2014). In a 2011
documentary called ‘Yohji Yamamoto: This is My Dream”, Yamamoto described his experiences
of growing up as “ hav[ing] no memory about Japanese culture because those things were all
destroyed. So maybe this is my root, the ruined Japan”. Yamamoto would continue to excel at
school and eventually enroll into Keio University, one of the most prestigious universities of all
Japan. He would graduate the university in 1966 with a degree in law. Uninterested in pursuing a
“normal life”, he decided to help his mother at her shop and enroll into Bunka Fashion Academy
in Tokyo (Business of Fashion, n.d.). It was there that Yamamoto began to understand the
Yamamoto’s career in the fashion industry began in 1972, after helping his mother with
anonymous in the industry. Shortly after, he had released a ready to wear collection in Tokyo
which received a large amount of positive feedback. Shortly after in 1981, he was invited to
show his collection in Paris for the first time. His collection had amazed the Paris fashion scene,
and buyers became plentiful (Gonsalves, 2014). He then launched a store a Paris, and his label
ready to wear lines have populated luxury brand stores ever since. Throughout the years, he had
also had the opportunity to collaborate with celebrities and both famous brands, such as Adidas
In 2009, however; Yamamoto’s label was on a heavy downturn. Due to the unwise
decision making in the financial sector within his company, combined with the weakening
economy within Japan, Yamamoto’s label had fallen into about $67 million dollars of debt
(Tabuchi, 2009). Yamamoto’s company had no choice but to file for bankruptcy protection in
Japan. Fortunately, he has been able to recover from this setback ever since and is still widely
The Characteristics
elements. This signature style that Yamamoto had created for himself was a rebellious
counterstrike against the form-fitting, and bright colored fashions that have populated the world
of avant-garde in Paris, France. During this era, consumers in high fashion were becoming tired
of what they would normally see on the runways, making Yamamoto’s designs in Paris a new
breath of fresh air. From the silhouette to the color, and overall image of his designs, Yamamoto
had rebelled on all aspects to what was considered ‘popular’ at the time, while also sharing
Japanese avant-garde fashion with Europe (Kawamura, 2004). In an interview with the New
York Times in 2000, Yamamoto described his color choices by stating “Black is modest and
arrogant at the same time. Black is easy and lazy but mysterious...But above all black says this:
‘I don’t bother you. Don’t bother me’” (Bannerman, 2018). Although an all monochromatic color
scheme at the time was new, he still held tradition as an important aspect in his designs. In the
Japanese culture, there is a term called “wabi-sabi”. Wabi-sabi is prevalent in all Japanese
artforms, and the term can be defined as the “imperfect, or unbalanced”. If ‘wabi-sabi’ were a
DESIGNER PROFILE:
YOHJI YAMAMOTO
genre, it would be classified as melancholic, yet beautiful. In regard to art, Japanese people hold
this element as a very important component. In a 2014 interview with Gonsalves, Yamamoto
describes this cultural difference as “We Japanese have the tendency of enjoying the emotion of
missing, enjoying the memory [more than the event]”. This cultural belief can be seen
throughout his designs through the imbalanced asymmetry and overall melancholic style.
Although Yamamoto’s signature style is easily recognizable and timeless, his style has
proven to change throughout time, as it is only natural. In the earlier years of his popularity, his
signature style was consistent with the elements of loose, large, simplistic, and monochromatic
designs. Although there were details of other colors introduced, the overall design was still very
In the early 2000’s is when we begin to see the shift in Yamamoto’s designs when he
collaborated with Adidas, creating the Y-3 label, which introduced more color varieties and fitted
garments. The collaboration pushed Yamamoto’s designs towards a more athletic, streetwear
style of clothing, as seen in Images 9 & 10, yet still holds some of the key elements of
Yamamoto’s signature style such as the use of black, with the colors being an accent to the
overall look.
Shortly after the start of Y-3 with Adidas, another large turning point within his style
shortly followed. In 2005, for his Autumn/Winter collection, Yamamoto decided to make warm
tones his main focal point for certain garments, while also incorporating more feminine details
throughout all garments. Still utilizing layered silhouettes and monochromatic schemes, the
overall look still accurately represents Yamamoto as a designer yet evolved. In Image 11, we can
DESIGNER PROFILE:
YOHJI YAMAMOTO
clearly see the use of ornate bows near the waistline, while also keeping a silhouette reminiscent
of a Japanese kimono. As Yamamoto began to diversify his color choices and vary his color
options, we also see his brand heading into a different direction. As the Y-3 line with Adidas still
remains successful, we are seeing a lot more urban, streetwear influenced designed from
Yamamoto.
From avant-garde to ready-to-wear productions, Yamamoto has been able to remain true
to the core elements of his signature look through certain design options and remaining truthful
to his background and culture. Not only is he an inspiration to Japanese high-fashion designers,
but he has also contributed to one of the most iconic styles in fashion history. With true passion
for his art, Yamamoto does not plan on retiring from the fashion industry any time soon.
As previously stated in Yamamoto’s early life history, he was born into a “ruined Japan”,
due to the troubles that World War II had brought to the people and economy of Japan. He felt
that he was robbed of truly being able to experience his heritage and he was not alone. In 1960’s
Japan, there were the Anpo Protests. During this time, the United States was trying to initiate and
contract with Japan, with the United States offering their military protection, and asking Japan to
allow them to establish military bases in their country. The treaty greatly angered many Japanese
citizens, as they felt that the Western influence was taking over their country and their culture
(Jesty, 2012). Due to the collective distaste for Western influences, it can by hypothesized that
Yamamoto’s designs were inspired by his need to regain his cultural identity and move fashion in
a trend that celebrated Japanese culture. Then, in the 1980’s, avant-garde fashion was dominated
by slimming silhouettes, feminine appeal, and bold colors. Yamamoto wanted to take an entirely
DESIGNER PROFILE:
YOHJI YAMAMOTO
this way, we see his rebellious nature again, reflecting the era in which he grew up in. At the
same time, the Japanese economy had fully recovered from the war, and even surpassed the
expectations on an international level. Because there was a dramatic, and swift upward shift in
the Japanese economy, consumers were able to indulge and take a greater interest in high fashion
goods.
DESIGNER PROFILE:
YOHJI YAMAMOTO
References
Bannerman, S. L. (2018, October 23). Yohji yamamoto, the japanese designer who redefined
https://theculturetrip.com/asia/japan/articles/yohji-yamamoto-the-japanese-designer-who-
redefined-avant-garde-fashion/.
https://www.businessoffashion.com/community/people/yohji-yamamoto.
Gonsalves, R. (2014, February 1). The y still has it: The masterful japanese designer yohji
yamamoto shows no signs of taking a back seat in his fashion empire. Retrieved
y-still-has-it-the-masterful-japanese-designer-yohji-yamamoto-shows-no-signs-of-taking-
a-back-9093949.html.
Jesty, J. (2012). Tokyo 1960: Days of rage & grief. Retrieved September 26, 2019, from
https://visualizingcultures.mit.edu/tokyo_1960/anp2_essay03.html.
Kawamura, Y. (2004). The japanese revolution in paris fashion. Fashion Theory, 8(2). Retrieved
from https://go-gale-com.libproxy.csun.edu/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&u=csunorthridge&id=GALE|A174820012&v=2.1&it=r
Tabuchi, H. (2009, October 9). Designer yamamoto files for bankruptcy protection. Retrieved
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/10/business/global/10designer.html.
DESIGNER PROFILE:
YOHJI YAMAMOTO
Appendix
museum-of-art-lacma/womans-kimono-coat-and-sleeveless-dress
DESIGNER PROFILE:
YOHJI YAMAMOTO
museum-of-art-lacma/womans-dress-16522
DESIGNER PROFILE:
YOHJI YAMAMOTO
Image 10: Yohji Yamamoto Y-3 Fall 2003 Ready-to-Wear. Retrieved from:
https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2003-ready-to-wear/y-3/slideshow/collection#8
DESIGNER PROFILE:
YOHJI YAMAMOTO