As we shift gears towards the heatwave of mid-summer, the sartorial landscape is also experiencing an unexpected shift with the new Yohji Yamamoto Spring/Summer 2024 collection. This collection is a testament to the vast spectrum of creativity, exhibiting a distinctive blend of the old and the new, light and dark, and the beautiful with the raw. As Yamamoto himself would argue, it is in these contrasts that the true essence of beauty lies.
A mere glance at the collection reveals a striking narrative, one woven together by vivid shades of red, stark whites, and Yamamoto’s trademark blacks. The backstory, as Yamamoto relays, comes from an unexpected source – a Bob Dylan concert. Despite being absent due to back pain, Yamamoto was moved by his daughter’s recounting of the stage set, painted in shadows save for a solitary spotlight. This story set the stage for the contrast-centric collection.
We find in this collection a plethora of prints, some as surreal as Yohji’s own face, imprinted in an imaginative departure from tradition. Yohji Yamamoto draws inspiration from the epoch-spanning art and architecture that has captivated him, infusing his designs with patterns that speak to a multi-generational audience. The result is a bold tapestry of times, blending the Middle Ages with the contemporary in an unconventional yet compelling fusion.
One cannot ignore the arresting addition of color in Yamamoto’s latest work, a far cry from his usual monochrome palette. The introduction of red has a rather grave symbolic meaning, as Yamamoto solemnly shared. In his words, “There is so much going wrong in the world; when I think of all these bad things I just think of blood”. A potent metaphor for our troubled times, the color becomes a silent yet vivid commentary on the world’s current predicaments.
At the core of this collection, however, is an inherent acceptance and appreciation of the ‘’ugly’’. This appreciation resonates profoundly in the text emblazoned on a flowing coat: “Oh, you look ugly“. Yamamoto sees this rawness as a necessary contrast to beauty, perpetuating his iconic viewpoint that perfection is, in itself, an ugly concept.
The collection showcases Yamamoto’s signature raw edge through the assembly of the garments. Wide trousers, waistcoats, and coats are stitched together and held with enlarged safety pins, blazer lapels flaunt unfinished edges, and surplus fabrics are stitched onto clothes in an embroidery-like manner. These details, far from detracting from the clothes, serve to enhance their appeal.
Creating a garment that teeters on the edge of incomplete yet possesses an air of skilled craftsmanship is no small feat, but Yohji Yamamoto’s collection does just that. With every stitch and safety pin, Yamamoto redefines the line between rawness and perfection, casting an intriguing new light on the landscape of fashion for Spring/Summer 2024.
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