Yohji Yamamoto

Yoji Yamamoto (Japanese山 本 耀 司, Yamamoto Yoji, according to its own transcription Yohji Yamamoto, born October 3, 1943 in Yokohama, Japan) is a Japanese fashion designer and founder of the eponymous clothing company.

Life

Yamamoto grew up with his mother, a seamstress and a war widow, and studied for her sake Law at Keio University. After he completed the course of study fashion at the Bunka Gakuin Fukusō in Tokyo.

From the mid- 1970s to the early 1990s were Yamamoto and the Japanese avant-garde designer Rei Kawakubo a couple. Yamamoto was previously married and has besides two sons, a daughter, Rimi (山 本 里 美, Yamamoto Rimi own notation: Limi ), which (until 2002 Y's Up called ) operates since 1999 her own fashion label Limi Feu, but the part of his father's company. Yamamoto divorced in 1975.

Yamamoto is one of the most recognized Japanese fashion artists. For his collections he has received several international awards: including in the U.S. with the International Award of the Council of Fashion Designers of America CFDA (1999), in France with the Chevalier de l' Ordre des Arts et Lettres (1994) and in Japan with the Mainichi Fashion Grand Prix (1986 and 1994). A quote by fashion designer is. "I 'm not a fashion designer, but a tailor " This explains the nature of its collections, in which he used no color or accessories. He also criticized the transience of conventional fashion business: " I ​​hate fashion [ ..] The fashion is panting after trends I want timeless elegance Fashion has no time I have.. .. . "

The mid-1980s encouraged Yamamoto his Italian pupil Ennio Capasa to start their own fashion company, which also did this in 1986 with CoSTUME NATIONAL. 1989 portrayed Wim Wenders in his documentary records Cities and Clothes the life and work of Yamamoto. The French fashion biographer Francois Baudot wrote the biography of the 1997 Designers: Yohji Yamamoto ( Memoirs ). In November 2010, the Ludion -Verlag published by Ai Mitsuda Yamamoto Yohji Yamamoto wrote Biography - My Dear Bomb.

Yamamoto has been awarded the black belt and since 2000 President of the World Federation Karatenomichi Karate Association.

Business

Yamamoto received in 1968 from Bunka Gakuin Fukusō the endo- scholarship that took him to Paris to study fashion. After returning to Japan, which was prepared in business clothes his mother and founded in 1972 his own company Y's (株式会社 ワイズ, Kabushiki - gaisha Waizu ). He called his women's collection therefore also Y's, which was officially repositioned after the launch of the main collection in the 1980s as a second collection in the ' elegant sportswear ', although Yamamoto Y's sees itself as an independent label. In 1977, he showed the Y's collection for the first time in Tokyo in 1979 and added a men's collection. In 1981, he called his main collection Yohji Yamamoto in life, she presented to the Paris runways and came in 1982 with her ​​to New York. Yamamoto sent - in stark contrast to former trends - white- made- Models in asymmetric black outfits on the catwalk, which in fashion, as well as the earning of Rei Kawakubo, the name Hiroshima Chic and the press of clothing such as after a " nuclear explosion " said. In 1984 he made ​​his successful debut with his main collection for men at Paris and founded the company Yohji Yamamoto. The soft materials and flowing cuts his menswear broke away from the rigid and bulky forms of the other designers of the 1980s. Yamamoto fashion became the intellectual status symbol for creatives and fashionistas.

Yamamoto - style

Yamamoto combines traditional clothing, even masculine Japanese working Clothing, contemporary sportswear to generate a postmodern streetwear chic. He presented in the 1990s, for example, inspired by kimono trench coats and shirts. His inspirations include the photographs of August Sander from the 1920s and 1930s. His women's collections are considered to be simple and androgynous, are even considered as ' men's fashion for ladies '. Instead of high heels his models wear mostly flat shoes and simple makeup. Yamamoto often experimented with new high -tech fabrics, but is just as happy and unconventional way completely untreated natural materials. Colors or even colorful patterns come in his collections only rarely, typically dominated by black and white fabrics. His mother's mourning had already marked him black children to times on the non-color. His main focus of his is to " cuts, silhouettes, movement, and form ." By means of created by its mode shape he tries with deconstructed, asymmetrical cuts, oversized or even below-average volumes, and draped, gathered, assembled or flowing fabrics, timeless, independent of trends - to generate elegance - even if sometimes very strict and austere.

Insolvency

Beginning of October 2009 opened Yamamoto companies by weak sales and rückgängier demand in times of financial crisis, the bankruptcy proceedings in Tokyo. Management failures and a debt of 45 million euros have been cited as reasons for the bankruptcy. Yamamoto himself was the owner and creative director of his house, but manager had used for business guests. The restructuring, and thus the majority of the shares, the company took over as a result of the Japanese subsidiary KK integral Both Yamamoto boutiques in New York were closed in late 2009. Opened in October 2007 and 1000 m² shop in Antwerp was closed in February 2010, the flagship stores in London, Paris and Aoyama (Tokyo) remained. The Y's collection for men was set or integrated into the main line for men Yohji Yamamoto Homme. All other collection continued. Yamamoto's fashion was always located in the top price segment.

'Return' to Tokyo

For his men's collection Homme Yohji Yamamoto Yamamoto returned to the Fashion Show Autumn / Winter 2010-11 with the slogan ' The Men ' (Eng. ' The men '), after nearly 20 years of Paris on 1 April 2010 to Tokyo back and presented his mainly in black collection held in the Yoyogi Arena with prominent models before 3000 spectators. He led the show with a personal apology one: " Forgive me, to have forgotten Japan. " On the edge of the fashion show Yamamoto announced plans to open its own boutiques in China. The fashion show for the Spring / Summer 2011 has been shown to result again in Paris.

Collections

Fashion Collections

• Yohji Yamamoto Femme - presents the main collection for women in the top price segment, at the fashion weeks in Paris (1981 launch )
• Yohji Yamamoto Homme - main collection for men in the top price segment, at the fashion weeks in Paris presents (1984 launch )
• Y's for women - second line for women in the upper price segment ( in 1972 as Yamamoto's first collection launched ) Y's Red Label - from Yamamoto's protégée Michiko Suzuki designed, launched in 2005 and from 2007 in Tokyo presented avant -garde women's collection (2009 set )

• Y 's for men shirt - subline of Y 's for men for the Japanese market

Collaborations

• Y-3 - Since 2003, adidas produced and presented at the fashion weeks in New York, youthful sportswear line in the medium price segment. Cooperation started in 2001, introduced first collection in October 2002
• Coming Soon - from the Italian SINV group from 2008 for the European market in license -produced no-name avant-garde sportswear collection ( with an embroidered circle as a trademark ) in the medium price segment
• Dr. Martens for Yohji Yamamoto - Cooperation with the shoe manufacturer Doc Martens from 2007 on a woman's shoe collection for the label Y's
• Y's Mandarina - Luggage collection in collaboration with the Italian company Mandarina Duck since 2006
• Prototype * - sunglasses collection for men and women in collaboration with the British eyewear maker Linda Farrow
• Stormy Weather - unique collaboration for jewelry with the Japanese Mikimoto pearl manufacturer in 2007
• Y's for Work - the Japanese market reserved inspired by workwear collection
• Y's for Living - assigned as a licensed collection of home goods and household goods outside of Yamamoto Group

Perfume collection

• Yohji (1996 )
• Yohji Essential ( 1998)
• Yohji Homme (1999)
• Yohji Yamamoto pour femme (2004)
• Yohji Yamamoto pour homme (2004)