From the Chiasmus Archive: "Y-3. FALL 2020 READY-TO-WEAR - NEW YORK"

 

I have been covering Y-3 shows for the last 8 years, which is Yohji Yamamoto's side deal with Adidas that began 18 years ago and has not slowed down.  In fact it is truly Yamamoto's imprint through the mega company's eyes which has always been curious for me as a fashion writer, a sought of tug of war with the three stripe brand logo and Yamamoto's last initial, Y.  A tension, that can be seen at times, as an overview of the corporate and creative.  Regardless, there has been an array of quality for every season without fail and for the most part, all of the Y-3 collections have held a wearable functionality; particulary the shoes, which has been very profitable for Adidas.  With a lot of small designer brands jostling to arrange "X" collaborative deals with multinational sports clothing giants, it would be prudent to study and note that Yamamoto's collective arrangement with Adidas is a very good example of how it can be achieved in an amicable way.   With design teams from both camps working together to output an original concept under its dual named banner. 

Yamamoto's mainstay with Y-3 and his take on the sleekly cut futuristic styles, which I feel in lieu of the many brands that tried to emulate the label over the years, which have either fallen to the wayside or switched to traditional looks.  There has always been something unique about Y-3's collections, with an ability to corner the market before anyone else.  With  its take on the urban/goth/mountaineering and combat inspired designs, that remain consistent from the Yamamoto camp.

For Y-3's Fall 2020 collection, Yamamoto has delivered a selection of very defined styles to what has been billed as a prelude, aesthetically, to the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, but the collection on offer from the Y-3 lookbook are anything but a 'sports' fusion.  In all of its feigned optimism of major events.  This is Yamamoto's straight up, while at the same time, ambiguous sell into the idealist concepts of post dystopian society mediums and urban decay, whether metaphorical or not – aligns itself in revealing the prefabricated dreams of a Potemkin village.  There is a quite, yet poignant disapproval with the mega sports event ascending onto Tokyo with some of the smaller designers voicing their concern at the remodeling that has occurred over the city.  So, dystopia rings true as a fashionable alternative to the everything-will-be-ok consumption bells, more so, when the head of the Japanese Olympic committee has advised his concern that the games may not go ahead with a global pandemic looming from the coronavirus.  With the illusion that globally economies can withstand any shocks, may resonate via money supply increases, the paint has always been peeling.   However, idealism, in most cases is attached to business and vis versa to sell concepts, yet within the imaginative and subtle, setting the tone of product can also hold an irony.  Yamamoto, of course has mastered this cryptic temperament over the many years as a fashion designer.

Berets, brimmed hats, cropped and padded jackets, vests, shorts. Long skirts and leggings. The duel sex collection sets its self into a tough more rugged manifestation – inspired by a survival readinesses. Wools and synthetics, over layered, but not draped as seen from Yamamoto's signature label styles, rather he has structured the collection as functional and purposeful in its expression.  

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(A.Glass 2020)  

Fall 2023 review soon.