Yohji Yamamoto is widely renowned for combining fashion with cultural influences to become one of Japan’s premier designers. His namesake label and its sublabels serve as a manifesto for genderless and ageless style; and his dynamic collaborations include iconic franchises like Evangelion, Cyborg 009, Keiichi Tanaami as well as musicians such as Tina Turner and Sir Elton John.

Yohji Yamamoto stands as one of the few remaining designers who has forging his own path. Raised by his mother who owned a dressmaking shop in Kabukicho, Tokyo’s nightlife district, Yamamoto made the leap from law degree to fashion after working at his mother’s workshop and enrolling at Bunka Fashion College. Soon thereafter he made headlines alongside Issey Miyake and Rei Kawakubo for creating new aesthetics with loose layers that draped around his body, flat shoes and black dominating.

Yamamoto demonstrated his unparalleled understanding of fabric manipulation with his SS25 Pour Homme show, where he cut small squares into the back of a jacket to allow it to open like windows. Yamamoto is widely recognized for his ability to transform fabric into pieces that radiate an unmistakable mellowness that speaks directly to men worldwide.

Yamamoto may seek to challenge gender norms, yet his masculine characteristics remain evident in his work and lifestyle: drinking (particularly whiskey), smoking and gambling – as well as his collaborations with visual artists; his love of art can be seen through collaborations he forms with visual artists – and also as a music composer, with albums released in Japan.