Y-3. Fall 2023
In mid 2022 I retired and laid to rest a silver/grey Y-3 polyamide zip jacket, although as melodramatic this might sound I had this jacket for over 10 years. So, I created a ceremony to release its experiences which I shared with it, before it was thrown out. Dry rot had affected the inner lining and the overall material began to perish. Such is the significance that aesthetics can have or be absorbed with the wearer, nothing really last forever and time is an erosion of the material world. And I have been reviewing Y-3 shows in that same decade timeframe. And if you were not aware Y-3 is the master Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto's collaboration with the sports wear giant Adidas.
Longevity is the key for a brand in a changing and tumultuous world, and Y-3 has been able to muster to the occasion, with Yohji Yamamoto's name attached to the label of a collaborative relationship that has lasted for nearly two decades. Yet, I have always felt at the same time there has been a push and pull relationship between the aging designer and the Adidas conglomerate. To which Yamamoto's imprint as the quintessential avant-garde designer can at times be overwhelmed with the three stripes Adidas logo. Still, collaborative relationships can come and go very quickly with a plethora of designers all pining for survival in an immensely competitive fashion industry. Yamamoto and Adidas hold the bench mark of testing their hybrid partnership. Which shows after so many years of designing for the Y-3, Yamamoto has been able to compromise, whilst maintaining his personal signature range and the ready-to-wear Y's collections.
And it appears that the 79 year old designer has handed the reins of the Y-3 designs to his creative team, that have begun, what looks like a remodeling of the Y-3 imprint. With the Fall 2023 arrays offering a slicker take on Yamamoto's rustic appeal, which gave Y-3 its distinction over the many years, aligned with his own vision of the collaboration. Portraying Yamamoto's dystopian, broken city and utility wear looks, he maintained the layering and worn torn styles into its sportswear allure. Does the latest collection reflect that past brilliance of Yamamoto's signature impression?
I feel that the inundation of puffer jackets and oversized cuts, as opposed to Yamamoto's layering and asymmetrical stylizations, fails to lift the Y-3 to the unique standard it once was. Of course the urban, dystopian concepts remain in place, with Y-3 offering a interested take on their branded sneakers, as a sled looking sports shoe. But overall, the latest offering from Y-3 feels restrained, less risque. Which is a shame, if indeed Yamamoto's legacy is to be handed down to a new designer team for Y-3, it should be gentle in its deviation away from the greatness of the Japanese designer.
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(A.Glass 2023)
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