"It's impossible to talk about fashion today without considering the influence of Japanese avant-garde artists such as Yohji Yamamoto," says ACRONYM designer Errolson Hughes.
"Just as there is no football without Brazil or mixed martial arts without judo, everyone is affected, even if they don't realise it.
The volume, the tailoring, the color black, and also time and movement.
There is definitely a direct influence from Yohji Yamamoto in what we understand.
So if you try to do something outside of that, you're immediately stuck." Yamamoto's influence has been steady on the fashion world for decades, but it's only recently come to the fore in a different way. With trends changing at an incredible rate and new ideas only becoming popular when adopted by pop superstars and influencers, timeless, solid style is more in demand than ever.
There is a feeling within the industry that Yohji Yamamoto is the one to rely on to save fashion from fashion.
We recently opened new stores in London and Tokyo, and soon in New York.
It must not be easy for him, as he relies on Yamamoto from the industry.
Although he's one of the most famous designers working today, he's not particularly proud of it, and he's very modest in his words and actions, because he doesn't think about himself in terms of success.
"My way of thinking about clothes has never changed," he says, in his characteristically poetic, quiet, yet dramatic style.
His demeanor was like that of a beat poet or a wise, pessimistic old rock star.
There are no deadlines in art With its low ceilings, thick wooden beams and pillars, and wide floorboards, the place looks more like an apartment than an office. Caroline Fabre, an executive advisor, arrives.
After nearly 20 years working for Azzedine Alaïa as his right-hand man, he joined Yamamoto's team last year. Yamamoto still presents new collections four times a year, almost always in Paris. Two days after this interview, he is leaving for Tokyo to finalize his women's collection, which will be shown in Paris in a month. It's a grueling schedule, but Yamamoto doesn't mind getting tired. It's the deadlines that are the hardest.
Words of Yohji Yamamoto
1. **"My way of thinking about clothes has never changed."**
A phrase that expresses Yohji Yamamoto's consistent design philosophy.
2. **"There are no deadlines in art. It's done when it's done."**
This shows an attitude of respecting freedom in creative activities.
3. **"If you want to copy, go ahead and do it. After all, a copy is always a copy. I don't copy."**
These words reflect Yohji Yamamoto's attitude of valuing his own originality.
4. "Even if you say you like something, people have completely different tastes."
This phrase indicates the diversity of values regarding fashion.
5. **I'm a Tokyo native.**
It is a simple and honest expression of one's roots and identity.
