Avant- Garde, a French term, refers to people or works that are innovative or experimental. In the fashion world, there have been many notable designers who have changed society’s perception of clothes. What was once a questionable fashion style is now a worldwide phenomenon.
Avant- Garde fashion designers are forward thinking and have experimented boldly with their techniques and materials. However, the thing that sets their work apart is the concept used. One of the most reputable designers, known for his monochromatic look is Yohji Yamamoto.
Yohji Yamamoto is a Japanese fashion designer. He is known to be one of the greatest fashion designers who have successfully broken the boundaries between commodity and art. Among other designers, there are several key elements in Yamamoto’s work that makes him unique.
Indubitably, the womenswear made by Yamamoto is voluminous like a Japanese warrior’s suit. He often dresses women in designs inspired by men’s clothing to prevent women from being overly sexualized for their clothing. To achieve that, he deliberately removed clothing items or designs that could make women seem promiscuous or sexy such as high heels, rising hemlines, plunging necklines, and sheer fabrics. One of his more enduring and compelling products is the dark-colored suit paired with a white shirt to convey power and sexuality.
The color black is the icon of Yamamoto’s work. Based on his words, black can evoke both aggression and submission. He finds that a person stands out when they wear black like drops of paint on a blank, white canvas. In Japan, the black dyes have a rural origin. Most of the warriors' suits are in black or other dark colors. This is to portray strength just like Yamamoto’s suit of armor. The color black also adds a dramatic effect as it creates an oversized silhouette. Even with such a design, his clothes are made to wear comfortably and yet provide formality.
The similarities found in most of Yohji's works are asymmetry and imperfection. He used a melange of influences in his clothing. Despite being called ‘deconstructed style’, he still manages to incorporate different aesthetics of Japan’s fashion in the postwar era, his repulse against bourgeois taste and European street style. By mixing his style, he has created a universal expression accepted by society. Yamamoto’s ability to see beauty in imperfections and find the inherent integrity of each object or material is influenced by a Japanese term, wabi-sabi.
Through all his contributions, Yamamoto has not only expanded androgyny in fashion but also created a platform for designers to be bolder with their creations. He has brilliantly recontextualized clothes to allow gender ambiguity. It is his passion to make menswear for women that manifested the impact he has made today. In recent years, Yohji Yamamoto has collaborated with Adidas, Y-3. The collections made through this collaboration have successfully combined tech-wear and athleisure to create an aesthetic that is ahead of time.
Yohji Yamamoto’s creations are often showcased on runways however he did organize an exhibition for his brand in Tokyo, London, Florence, Paris, and Israel.
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