Clashes in avant-garde fashion
“Perfect harmony is boring” - Yohji Yamamoto
The collision of worlds and conceptions is essential when it comes to the arts, namely in fashion. Fashion is universal. Whether you live in Europe, in Asia or North America the fashion industry is present, with a large crowd of admirers. (Unless you live in a nudist colony.) In this month’s article, we will observe one of the most influential and innovative designers the modern day has ever seen, Yohji Yamamoto. Yamamoto is known for creating shocking avant-garde clothing. In the beginning of his career, Yamamoto was not well received by his critics. After months of traveling across Europe and presenting his sketches to magazines and editors, he was not able to produce a single sale. After some time, he produced a collection of raincoats that was peeked a Japanese buyer’s interest. In 1972, he launched the Yohji Yamamoto label. His designs were deemed strange and he had a tough time breaking into the industry.
Today, Yamamoto has grown to become a reputable and valuable designer in the industry. Recently, he has paired up with Adidas to create a line of high-end sportswear called Y-3. Textures and textiles continue to be the epicenter of his work. “Fabric is everything.”, is his infamous mantra. Yamamoto’s recent runway show during New York fashion week was a far cry from dull.
Yamamoto doesn’t consider himself a designer but a dressmaker. He claims he hates fashion, and only thinks about how he should cut clothes. His inspiration stems from anger and darkness. Yamamoto loves to wear black. He was born right after World War II into a dark and chaotic Tokyo. The scenes he saw when he was younger influenced his outlook on life, which reflected into his designs. He does not feel comfortable in the light, in whiteness, being only concerned with the more wicked side of things.
Comments
Noah C
November 1, 2013I clicked on this article because I am familiar with the clothing line Y-3 in the image and the designer behind it as well. The fashion world is something that interests me and I like to keep myself up to date on what’s going on. Several of the blogging websites I browse regularly were documenting both Paris and New York fashion week so I followed them pretty closely. I payed a lot of attention to all these high-end designers and especially liked the Rick Owens and Hood By Air shows. Of course these can be extremely expensive brands and I don’t own any of their clothing but I still find it fascinating from a creative and artistic perspective. Many of these avant-garde collections are really pushing the limits and doing some crazy, innovative things. I truly commend artist of all forms that are able to access that inner darkness and turn it into something captivating and beautiful. A lot can stem from these emotions. The fashion culture is at a peak in my opinion in regards to experimenting with new and different mediums and approaches. Like Yamamoto said, perfect harmony is boring. Impressive article!
jessied
November 7, 2013While browsing through the Space home page, the article on Clashes in avent-garde fashion caught my eye. Fashion is constantly evolving around us. Staying on trend has become a job more than a hobby. I’ve always been interested in fashion and regularly browse fashion blogging websites from around the world to get inspiration. Yamamoto and many other designers’ creations have pushed the limits and broken the mold when it comes to fashion.Theses avant-garde designers also include icons such as Tom Ford and Donatella Versace These designs are only worn by people brave enough to step outside there comfort zone. The clients who wear these beautiful creations and the artists who create them should be commended for stepping outside of the conventions of fashion. Yamamoto uses his inner rage and darkness to create wearable works of art. I believe that creatively should be shown through expression, and he’s accomplished just that, Great article, very well written!
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