Bloomsbury Fashion Central

Yohji Yamamoto became famous in the 1980s as part of a trio of Japanese fashion designers (together with Rei Kawakubo and Issey Miyake) known for their avant-garde, antiestablishment, deconstructionist aesthetic, in a rejection and overturning of Western notions of beauty and form. For his fall/winter 1991 menswear collection, which was modeled by musicians, Yamamoto gave fans the relaxed silhouettes that they had come to expect from the forward-thinking fashion designer, and took inspiration fro

By now, recruiting models from all walks of life had become Yamamoto’s modus operandi, and for his fall/winter 1992 collection there were “real” people of a variety of ages and nationalities. The show provided looks that appeared to be for the cold outdoors, echoed in the rough, wooden planks that made up the runway. Outfits were made in fabrics suitable for keeping warm in the colder months, and completed with bold accessories such as big boots, knitted hats, and even eyepatches.

For his spring/summer 1992 collection, Yohji Yamamoto continued to recruit models who were not runway professionals. In the previous season, he had worked primarily with musicians. This time round, he turned to sportsmen, including tennis player Yannick Noah and footballer José Touré. The show was an ambitious one, with close to a hundred looks. Many of them were in shades of gray and blue, with punches of color offered in the wide variety of outfits available. The collection followed the season’

For Yohji Yamamoto’s spring/summer 1994 collection, white makes an appearance in nearly every look—and these were created with layers, as the fashion designer continued working on redefining men’s wardrobes. Following the trends for the season, several versions of the classic white button-down shirt were presented, including longer versions akin to the Moroccan djellaba. Stripes were also seen on various items of clothing. The collection received mixed reviews from fashion critics.