1. Introduction A maverick genius keeps on his way to creative real clothing art from imperfect balance as most of designer in the fashion field are seeking for perfect works. He is Yohji Yamamoto, one of the most influential designers in the world. He disregards trends, he designs for life (AFP, 2011). Yohji Yamamoto is new header of Japan tidal wave of fashion in the world; his two main lines Yohji Yamamoto and Y's are stocked in high-end department stores worldwide. (BOF, 2016) Yohji Yamamoto founded Y's joint stock corporation in 1972, showing for the first time in 1977 at Tokyo Fashion Week. The unique women’s ready-to-wear was appeared to world’s vision in his collection debut at Tokyo, two years later, the men’s line launched. By 1981, Yohji Yamamoto was showing at Paris Fashion Week, his eponymous label line stared at the same year. (Yohji Yamaoto Inc., n.d.) Once Yohji Yamamoto brought his anti-fashion works to challenge traditional notions of fashion, then he started to lead the fashion trend of the world until now. In this report, mainly to explore the success story of Yohji Yamamoto from different aspects including designer’s background, analysis of constructed textiles within collection. At last, make a short conclusion about Yohji Yamamoto and his works. 2. Background Image 1-Yohji Yamamoto (Source: Zimbio, 2008) Yohji Yamamoto (image 1) was born in Japan in 1943, his mother was a tailor in Tokyo in his childhood. His design talent and interest was enlightened by the experience about he helped his mother make clothes go from door to door when he was 12. After he obtained law degree in 1966 from Keio University in Tokyo, he won an opportunity to further his studies in Paris. Two years later after he finished his fashion design degree at Bunka Fashion College, he made a start of design career. Yohji Yamamoto started his first collection named Y’s in Tokyo in 1972, and the brand’s ready-to-wear clothes for women were inspired from the oppressed women in the society during the Second World War. He wanted to make men’s clothes for women in order to protect them. “It meant something to me – the idea of a coat guarding and hiding a woman’s body. I wanted to protect the woman’s body from something – maybe from men’s eyes or a cold wind.” (Yamamoto, 2011) His original intention lays the foundation of his design style. Yamamoto wanted to hide women’s body by voluminous silhouette and exaggerated the space between the external garment and the body. His signature black pieces with exaggerated modeling stood in sharp contrast of emphasizing the beauty of women’s curves in Europe. Yamamoto’s oversized, unfinished and informally clothes has been a victim of controversy as much as fashion after his collection debut in Paris, but the influence of “Yohji Yamamoto” is hard to dispute. Image 2 – Yohji Yamamoto SS10 Runway (Source: Tinypic, 2010) Except his first brand Y’s and his eponymous brand, Yamamoto's other lines include Pour ...

1. 1. Introduction
A maverick genius keeps on his way to creative real clothing art
from imperfect balance as most of designer in the fashion field
are seeking for perfect works. He is Yohji Yamamoto, one of
the most influential designers in the world. He disregards
trends, he designs for life (AFP, 2011). Yohji Yamamoto is new
header of Japan tidal wave of fashion in the world; his two main
lines Yohji Yamamoto and Y's are stocked in high-end
department stores worldwide. (BOF, 2016) Yohji Yamamoto
founded Y's joint stock corporation in 1972, showing for the
first time in 1977 at Tokyo Fashion Week. The unique women’s
ready-to-wear was appeared to world’s vision in his collection
debut at Tokyo, two years later, the men’s line launched. By
1981, Yohji Yamamoto was showing at Paris Fashion Week, his
eponymous label line stared at the same year. (Yohji Yamaoto
Inc., n.d.) Once Yohji Yamamoto brought his anti-fashion works
to challenge traditional notions of fashion, then he started to
lead the fashion trend of the world until now.
In this report, mainly to explore the success story of Yohji
Yamamoto from different aspects including designer’s
background, analysis of constructed textiles within collection.
At last, make a short conclusion about Yohji Yamamoto and his
works.
2. Background
Image 1-Yohji Yamamoto

2. (Source: Zimbio, 2008)
Yohji Yamamoto (image 1) was born in Japan in 1943, his
mother was a tailor in Tokyo in his childhood. His design talent
and interest was enlightened by the experience about he helped
his mother make clothes go from door to door when he was 12.
After he obtained law degree in 1966 from Keio University in
Tokyo, he won an opportunity to further his studies in Paris.
Two years later after he finished his fashion design degree at
Bunka Fashion College, he made a start of design career.
Yohji Yamamoto started his first collection named Y’s in Tokyo
in 1972, and the brand’s ready-to-wear clothes for women were
inspired from the oppressed women in the society during the
Second World War. He wanted to make men’s clothes for
women in order to protect them. “It meant something to me –
the idea of a coat guarding and hiding a woman’s body. I
wanted to protect the woman’s body from something – maybe
from men’s eyes or a cold wind.” (Yamamoto, 2011) His
original intention lays the foundation of his design style.
Yamamoto wanted to hide women’s body by voluminous
silhouette and exaggerated the space between the external
garment and the body. His signature black pieces with
exaggerated modeling stood in sharp contrast of emphasizing
the beauty of women’s curves in Europe. Yamamoto’s
oversized, unfinished and informally clothes has been a victim
of controversy as much as fashion after his collection debut in
Paris, but the influence of “Yohji Yamamoto” is hard to dispute.
Image 2 – Yohji Yamamoto SS10 Runway
(Source: Tinypic, 2010)
Except his first brand Y’s and his eponymous brand,
Yamamoto's other lines include Pour Homme, Costume
d'Homme and the diffusion line Coming Soon. Yamamoto has
also collaborated on pieces, collections and lines with a number
of other brands, including Adidas (Y-3), Hermès, Mikimoto and

3. Mandarina Duck; and with artists such as Tina Turner, Sir Elton
John, Placebo, Takeshi Kitano, Pina Bausch and Heiner Müller.
(BOF, 2016)
Image 3 – Yohji Yamamoto was showing his works
(Source: Tanuma, 1981)
3. Analysis of textiles within collection
Yohji Yamamoto expresses his proposition and avant-guard
spirit in his clothing, at the same time, Yamamoto shows deeply
interest in textile of his work, he said “Fabric is everything.
Often I tell my pattern maker.” (Mondottica, 2016) The
following analysis of constructed can help us explore how
Yamamoto expresses his aesthetic claims by the using of fabric.
Image 4- Yellow strapless silk dress and oversized coolie hat
covered with draped silk, S/S 1997
(Source: V&A Museum, 2011)
The above (image 4) yellow strapless silk dress and oversized
coolie hat covered with draped silk are representative pieces of
Yamamoto. He designing garments that seemed oversized,
unfinished, played with ideas of gender or fabrics not normally
used in fashionable attire such as felt or neoprene. (V&A, n.d.)
This garment is made by single color silk to make this piece
shiny and fluffy sense. It typically features drapes in glossy silk
that naturally shape the contours of figure. It loose gathers and
tatters of texture gives soft, wide and comfort feeling of image
and it meets the Yamamoto’s appellative function of women’s
clothes. The properly handled stack-up of cloth highlights the
nature and tactility of fabric and the interactive space between
the body and the cloth. Non-symmetrical appearance of skirt
represents the unique essence of traditional Japanese fashion
culture.

4. Yohji Yamamoto Menswear S/S2012
(Source: Dazed, 2011)
The color black was inundated with the early collection of
Yamamoto, but in the S/S 2012 season collection, there were
some other soft color appeared. “I think that my men’s clothing
looks as good on women as my women’s clothing.” Said by
Yamamoto. Ultra baggy trousers with loose white jersey shirts,
mimicking and simultaneously appropriating a Western suit;
this was soon followed by mismatched patterns, stripy pants
worn with jackets composed of tiny heart patterns, a subtle
game of patchwork, and kilt-like trousers – in fabrics ranging
from to sporty jersey to raw cotton and thick linen. (Dazed,
2011) This collection continued the wide shape style of Yohji
Yamamoto, raw cotton and thick linen with contracted cutting
all delivered high suitability of clothes. Yamamoto believes that
black is the modest and arrogant at the same time. (Yamamoto,
2000) But the use of different color brought diverse energy to
his works and the color he used in this collection helped make
the feeling of loosening the silhouette.
4. Conclusion
In conclusion, this report has provided a full exploration of the
success story of Yohji Yamamoto. He is avant-garde and
influential artist in the recent four decades, he brought eastern
fashion culture enter the western fashion style, he let people
feel old and new at the same time, he makes irregularity design
looks balance. Yamamoto’s work is an extraordinary tension
that occurs in the East between the simple and the sophisticated,
between natural materials and technological advance, between
the empire of the senses and the tempered discretion of the
feelings. (English, 2011) The artwork of Yohji Yamamoto
reflects meditation on life, mutual integration and penetration
between eastern and western culture. Yamamoto’s brand
allegation of imperfect and irregular has became unique fashion
wave in the modern fashion industry, in the hope to see the even

5. better and amazing artworks, Yamamoto should bring boundless
possibilities to create by challenging the both his own and
culture traditions.
References
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