Heavyweight fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto announced that he will be releasing a new 2019-20 Autumn/Winter collection with the concept, “BLACK Scandal”. The collection began development earlier this week.
The color black has been significant to Yohji Yamamoto from the very start. The idea behind “BLACK Scandal” is to put a bit of flavor into the color black. Yohji Yamamoto has been quoted saying that black is “modest and arrogant at the same time. Black is lazy and easy – but mysterious. But above all black says this: “I don’t bother you – don’t bother me”. All of his designs have followed his idea that the color black has the most potential. The new collection, “BLACK Scandal”, has a motif of madness, temper, flowers, and being easily late. These concepts are expressed through the aid of childish hand-drawn images, scribbles, and watercolor designs.
Young Yohji Yamamoto initially pursued a law degree at a university in Tokyo, but soon gave up his legal career to assist his mother in her dressmaking business. It was from this humble start where he found his passion for fashion and attended Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo. Yohji Yamamoto’s intention was always to create sharp-looking fashion for women. He wanted to make men’s clothes, but for women. He once said in an interview, “When I started making clothes for my line Y’s in 1977, all I wanted was for women to wear men’s clothes. I jumped on the idea of designing coats for women. It meant something to me – the idea of a coat guarding and hiding a woman’s body. For me, a woman who is absorbed in her work, who does not care about gaining one’s favor, strong yet subtle at the same time, is essentially more seductive. The more she hides and abandons her femininity, the more it emerges from the very heart of her existence. A pair of brilliantly cut cotton trousers can be more beautiful than a gorgeous silk gown.”
Actually, I’ve always been a Y-3 and Yohji Yamamoto fan, but before writing this article, I had no clue about Yohji Yamamoto’s mentality when it came to creating fashion. I’m really blown away by his motivation to empower women through the clothing he designs. To Yohji Yamamoto, it’s important to create a space for yourself, and that’s what he does through his creations.
You can find out more about Yohji Yamamoto and his brand on his official website.