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Curated by Shuaihua Zhu

Yohji Yamamoto’s voluminous designs were rooted in his lived experiences and the post-war context, he broke into the Western fashion scene in 1981 debuting in Paris. The mainstream glitz created by conventional Western designers such as Christian Dior and Gianni Versace, that emphasized an hourglass silhouette to express a sense of femininity was challenged by the deconstructed female body tailoring Yamamoto brought to the fashion world. Aiming to protect women from the male gaze and assist liberal elites in finding their own identities, all concepts of overt femininity were avoided in Yamamoto’s sombre design. Nevertheless, Yamamoto played with different ideas rather than sticking to one permanent style. Retaining the initial intention of female protection, subtle changes were made to each collection.