Y-3: Yamamoto’s Dream

Honored by everyone from the CFDA to the French government, the radically innovative designer Yohji Yamamoto has challenged our perceptions of fashion since his debut collection in 1977 with his play on proportion, androgyny and asymmetry. To coincide with the ten-year anniversary of Y-3, the cutting-edge collaboration between Yamamoto and Adidas—for which football legend Zinedine Zidane is brand ambassador—today we present the trailer for the documentary Yohji Yamamoto: This is My Dream. The Japanese virtuoso, a man shrouded in mystery, invited director Theo Stanley to shadow him for several months as he readied the performance-based Y-3’s spring/summer 2010 collection. "Yohji operates at the center of his constructed world, an environment that has been severely reduced to quiet any visual disturbances that would distract from his vision," recalls Stanley. "His conceptual drive and dedication to both aesthetics and craft enable him to be always reaching forward." Yamamoto spoke exclusively to NOWNESS about his long-standing partnership with Adidas.

How would you describe Y-3 as a collaborative project?
Distant DNA got married and had a successful baby. You have to [treat] Y-3 [like it is] an independent human. In that way the brand already has its own character.
 
How does the collaborative process between you and Adidas work?
Adidas is a very personal inspiration to me. It has enriched my creative life. Both teams are in constant contact and communicate continuously. There are many meetings to develop the collection together. It's an important exchange between different cultures and different ideas.

Do your catwalk collections inspire Y3, and vice versa? 
Both sides are a totally free and creative process, the two worlds are parallel.
 
How did you find the experience of being shadowed by the documentary team?
They have been very respectful and non-intrusive––I hardly noticed that they were around!

Y-3's new store has just opened at 54 Conduit Street, London, W1S 2YY. Catch our exclusive interview with football legend Zinedine Zidane at the opening here.