Y O H J I Y A M A M O T O

This is my dream

Yohji Yamamoto was born in Tokyo in 1943, known for his draped avant-garde oversized silhouettes, he is considered a true master tailor of Japanese design aesthetics.

Yamamoto embodies an entrepreneur who understands how to create a global following with his line Yohji Yamamoto and Y's stocked in high-end department stores worldwide, clocking up sales around $100 million in 2007.

Over the last decade Yohji has been a true pioneer building his empire within the luxury sector, and what strikes me about this infamous designer is his foresight to build his name first before transferring his (name equity) into his company brands. His intelligent use of brand partnerships enabled him to further strengthen his brand name with world class collaborations with: Adidas, Hermes, Mikimoto, Mandarina Duck and New Era and artist like: Tina Turner, Sir Elton John, John Placebo, Takeshi Kitano and others.

We all love a true rag to riches story, and this quintessential designer’s journey is fascinating, inspiring and relatable. An ambitious man who came from nothing to rank highly within the luxury fashion sector, before pioneering the way we wear sportswear today, truly refreshing!

Like many entrepreneur’s climb to the top, it’s a lonely one, a journey where we must keep ourselves focused, motivation while still remaining hungry, which is a challenging task.

Yohji said: “I came to far from the streets, I was almost losing my enthusiasm for making clothing, I had this big question”

A question most of us ask ourselves, it’s even harder for creatives whose work is centered around producing captivating work. It was a time that he was losing his passion and becoming tired of creating high-end luxury clothing, he felt he had come to far from the streets to sit back and he like most of us was struggling to find his creative voice, essence and space in the world.

We all fail into a comfort zone, get mental block or we just lose our edge, that spark and Yohji was no different. But I love the breakthrough that he had just after his personal discovery, that took this fashion icon to a whole new status and to the bright lights of the sporting world.

His Journey

It was on his trips to New York, Tokoyo and Paris that he realised there was lots of people running, and so he thought to himself it’s time to care about the body and he took action and made a life changing call to Adidas, saying:

“I want to work with your company”, and very quickly the answer came back – YES!”

He also said: “The sports industry looked very attractive to me”

Y-3 - A brand birthed (The meaning) Y-3 means Yohji 3.

Y = Yohji

“_” signifies the link between the two.

3 = Adidas 3 signature stripes (Adidas motif)

Y3 launched in 2002 with one rule…

“The rule of this brand is that it was born from a sporting spirit and it must be Street, Elegant, Fashion”.

Here we see the marriage of Yohji Yamamoto and Adidas two different brand identities coming together with one vision. Yohji puts it this way “Very far DNA got married and had a successful baby”

This explosive collaboration fuses Yohji Yamamoto’s Avant-guard couture flare with the innovative functional design of Adidas. This partnership offered Yohji a platform to create a more relaxed and practical collection, giving him the opportunity to blur the lines of luxury and casual sportswear.

What I love about Yohji is his love for being inspired but challenged, a character trait we all need to adopt. What this says to me is that as entrepreneurs we must not hide away from stretching ourselves and that once we change how we look at things, we are able to innovate more easily. Seeing through a new lens allows us to find new energy which fuels our growth to the next level, and we see this here with Yohji as he evolves to new heights to pioneer a whole new “Sporty Elegance Category”.

Imagine, if he did not challenge himself or push the boarders on his craft or thinking, would he have made the call to Adidas?

Yohji says:

“We opened a new market segment, a niche for others to follow,” and even now after all this time, there is an even greater demand for a modern interpretation of sportswear.

Y-3 is unique in the market and not comparable to any other brand or design cooperation. It is a strong examination on the blend of sport and style”

I love the freedom this collaboration gave to Yohji, his style and inspirations transferred to a new segment to create a new category, and the pairing of the Adidas recognisable 3 stripe motif was another way of innovating how both brands inspired the other.

“My desire is to make sportswear elegant and chic. The collaboration with Adidas is not only important in my creative experience, it gave life to something entirely new. It's like a child born of two parents with an incredibly different DNA. The result is remarkably interesting. A totally free creative process, the two worlds are parallel.”

“Fashion always relates to current influences; we are living in a sports and body conscious age and with Y-3 we gave a view to the future. Adidas is a very personal inspiration to me. It has enriched my creative life. I became free: in my mainline there are many boundaries and rules, but in Y-3 I work without any taboos”.

The power of finding freedom in our work is the goal and here we see this partnership giving Yohji the creative freedom to find out new things about himself. I get the sense that Yohji is inspired and also respects Adidas, signifying the synergy needed to make a successful brand partnership work.

Yohji Yamamoto, has been able to position the Y-3 brand at the premium end of the market, based on his years of brand building.

Out of the shadows

You clearly see Yohji Yamamoto’s identity and DNA reflected across the Y-3 brand.

His famous all black or black and white classic and clean colour palette references back to Yohji’s more reserved nature he says “I am comfortable being in black, not in the light”

But his creative influences especially shoes always bare a more extreme design aesthetic almost a (crazy bad taste inspiration), he says. “I am an artist and I like to surround myself with gorgeous things”.

A designer who was behind the scene and comfortable in the dark and uses black dark tones in his work is now firmly in the limelight. “Staying in the shadow is very comfortable”.

I love this quote “I am ready to make people excited or disappointed.” A powerful statement of being true to your own dreams, abilities and vision.

Keen to make the brand a part of our everyday fabric Yohji’s vision is explained here: “I want to make this brand very necessary”

Harmony and conflict are his favourite forms of expressions. “Conflict is charming and exciting, my passion interests are in cutting clothing, not fashion. It can’t lie”.

“Movement is the trend, be fashionable, be sexy and be yourself”.

“I always like to play with an ironic take on logos in the Y-3 collection,” Yohji says.

Closing statement:

As entrepreneurs or creative genius, we must understand that our name is our most valuable asset, and you too can create brand equity for yourself that you can transfer into any brand with the right strategies to build a global business just like Yohji Yamamoto.

For me I am inspired by his story which is a reminder there are opportunities for us if we look outside of our immediate environment or industry, we to can find a new playing field so we can use our skills to impact new people or create a new category.

Brand partnerships are an innovative way to bring two brands together to inspire fresh ideas, new perspectives and a new platform to change your game just like Yohji did.

Congratulations and thank you Yohji for setting a new preceden

When we explore and stretch our minds or we step outside of our comfort zone or industry, there is innovation, new experiences and success just waiting for you, if you dare to dream!?

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 What an amazing opportunity!

I truly enjoyed working on the Adidas and Yohji Yamamoto Pre Y-3 limited edition launch below is just a sneak peek.

Sophia White, Brand Strategist #Sports #Apparel #Fashion