Yohji Yamamoto

I’ve long been fascinated by the work of Yohji Yamamoto.  I find him a true innovator in his process and his vision. His current exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum is a perfect opportunity to celebrate his work and look back on his vast back catalogue. The retrospective houses over 60 creations and is set over a series of site-specific installations throughout the V&A and beyond. It also includes Yamamoto’s menswear for the first time as well as a multi-media timeline which reveals Yamamoto’s wider creative output.

'Fabric is everything. Often I tell my pattern makers, “Just listen to the material. What is it going to say? Just wait. Probably the material will tell you something.”'
Yohji Yamamoto

"I wanted people to wear my clothes for at least ten years, so I asked the fabric maker to make a very strong, tough finish. It’s very close to designing army clothing." Yohji Yamamoto

"I’m searching for a new proportion. What interests me is the ‘space’ between the person wearing the clothes and the clothes themselves - the airiness, the movement, the silhouette." Yohji Yamamoto

"I think perfection is ugly. Somewhere in the things humans make, I want to see scars, failure, disorder, distortion." Yohji Yamamoto

The exhibition is open until 10th July at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

In Conversation, Yohji Yamamoto from Victoria and Albert Museum on Vimeo.