I often think, Oh Yohji you were so right. To
be more specific, you were so right when you said back in 2011, “People have
started wasting fashion”. Those of you who know which Yohji I am referring to might
as well stop reading now. Those who don’t, please continue.
I feel fashion has become so commercialized
even in fields that were traditionally more artistic. Or at least, it has
become so commercialized that we tend to forget that it is also a form of art.
I guess this is probably because there is so much of it. And it is so much of
it because it is everywhere, baring no knowledge or depth, and it is everywhere
for consumption, not for expression – expression of personal taste for
example. Mind you, I don’t believe there
is anything wrong with the commercialization of fashion. But, I do believe that
the immensity of the frivolous commercialization is totally wrong - especially
when it overshadows fashion’s artistic character.
So, when I find myself drifting due to the
barrage of fashion images, I bring Yohji Yamamoto in mind – one of its greatest
artists. If you have not yet stumbled upon one of his posts this is no
coincidence. No, it’s not that he refrains from the social media. It is simply
that he won’t become commercialized and for decades now he will stay faithful
to what his artistic mind will dictate.
Yohji Yamamoto is a Japanese fashion designer who
along with Rei Kawakubo, Issey Miyake and more are, let’s say, the Japanese
school of fashion (please go ahead and Google them). Born in Tokyo in 1943, his
first acquaintance with dressmaking was next to his mother who was a seamstress.
Although a law-graduate already, he studied fashion design at the Bunka Fashion
College in Tokyo, where he later established his first company. Active and very
fruitful during the 70s, it is no wonder that the following decade, such a genius
fashion mind, would find recognition in the more demanding – compared to today’s
standards if you ask me - Paris fashion circles, thus also worldwide.
I wouldn’t like to bore you with all his award
winnings and partnerships in movies, the opera and museums (I guess now what I
meant with “depth” before makes more sense). I will simply mention that in 2003,
he presented his Fall/Winter collection in Paris three months ahead of the rest
of designers and he explains: “I wanted to present in silence, with less
people”. Please bear in mind that the influencer blogger tribe is not even in
the scene yet. ..
But let’s focus on the essence a bit – his
clothes. Although it seems as if he has not thought them through, they are
actually quite complex. He wishes to present a different kind of femininity,
rather a masculine one I’d say. First time I came across one of his designs I
thought that those high fashion outfits could actually be worn and was happy
later to find out that he wished so too. To be more specific, his clothes are
essentially loose, I’d add deconstructed, in basic colours mostly, black being
his favourite one, but also made from a variety of quality textiles. Some look
like kimonos (of course…) and as if they flow on the models’ bodies. Last but
not least, they lack gender, so maybe this is why they are so wearable.
Photo Source: HistoryOfOurWorld.wordpress.com
Following his course, there is one conclusion I
have come to: he creates after substantial inspiration, thus, if you ask me,
influenced by the right kind of drive in order for one to design fashion. His
clothes are of the highest design as he is a true maestro. Since his beginning
he has been faithful to his inspiration and fashion identity, and all it takes
to identify his designs as his own is a mere glance. It is exactly that
faithfulness and identification that in my opinion prove his value in a world
bombarded of ephemeral and character-lacking fashion images.
Yohji Yamamoto by Neil Bedford
