Yohji Yamamoto’s Never-Ending Story
Metadata
Highlights
- Yamamoto still insists he doesn’t have a typical design process, even after all these years. He doesn’t apply trends to his brand and he doesn’t plan collections based on forecasts or what’s happening culturally. “I don’t care about the creative process,” he says. “We’re challenging the new process. We have to find a new process, because new processes sometimes show me ugliness.” He doesn’t find it hard to keep churning out ideas 50 years later, either. “Every time I start designing, I’m looking for something I am excited about,” he says. “But from my side, exciting ideas don’t come. When I’m driving my car in the street, the light turns red. I stop with many people around and inspiration comes. You have to always be ready to catch new motion passing in front you (View Highlight)
- Working in the industry for nearly half a century means everyone is looking for legacy—but Yamamoto tends to think about this idea differently. “Legacy means you have to be carefree, and you have to bring ideas forward. I hate it. There is so much cheap modern art and so much cheap, casual, ready-to-wear. I just want to be working my way.” (View Highlight)
- But he simply doesn’t believe clothing is anything more than just a garment. “No, it’s just clothes,” he answers, delivering the quickest response of the interview so far. But he doesn’t think about how people dress in their day-to-day lives when dreaming up each new collection. What he has in mind, instead, is the idea of how clothing can make you feel: “Special, strong, crazy, dangerous. And I enjoy it. I’m a craftsman, not an artist,” he says. (View Highlight)
- “Don’t look back at your life,” he says, looking me straight in the eyes. “Just go forward until you drop down.” (View Highlight)
Yohji Yamamoto’s Never-Ending Story
Metadata
Highlights
- Yamamoto still insists he doesn’t have a typical design process, even after all these years. He doesn’t apply trends to his brand and he doesn’t plan collections based on forecasts or what’s happening culturally. “I don’t care about the creative process,” he says. “We’re challenging the new process. We have to find a new process, because new processes sometimes show me ugliness.” He doesn’t find it hard to keep churning out ideas 50 years later, either. “Every time I start designing, I’m looking for something I am excited about,” he says. “But from my side, exciting ideas don’t come. When I’m driving my car in the street, the light turns red. I stop with many people around and inspiration comes. You have to always be ready to catch new motion passing in front you (View Highlight)
- Working in the industry for nearly half a century means everyone is looking for legacy—but Yamamoto tends to think about this idea differently. “Legacy means you have to be carefree, and you have to bring ideas forward. I hate it. There is so much cheap modern art and so much cheap, casual, ready-to-wear. I just want to be working my way.” (View Highlight)
- But he simply doesn’t believe clothing is anything more than just a garment. “No, it’s just clothes,” he answers, delivering the quickest response of the interview so far. But he doesn’t think about how people dress in their day-to-day lives when dreaming up each new collection. What he has in mind, instead, is the idea of how clothing can make you feel: “Special, strong, crazy, dangerous. And I enjoy it. I’m a craftsman, not an artist,” he says. (View Highlight)
- “Don’t look back at your life,” he says, looking me straight in the eyes. “Just go forward until you drop down.” (View Highlight)