Tweet
Biography to be released about the man behind the avant garde Japanese label which changed fashion.
Yohji Yamamoto, the charismatic and mysterious Japanese designer, is allowing the first-ever published biography about his life to be published.
The book, entitled (enigmatically, of course) ‘My Dear Bomb’, will be released worldwide in October.
The title, rather than being a reference to anything atomic, refers to the creative ‘bomb’ inside Yamamoto which explodes with extraordinary bursts of energy, at least four times a year in his catwalk shows in Paris, for his eponymous brand and for the Y-3 collection he does in conjunction with adidas.
Yamamoto made his debut in Paris in 1981, and, together with Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons, revolutionised the fashion scene overnight with an intellectual, conceptual approach to fashion - which included the occasional third sleeve on a jacket - an abundance of voluminous assymetry, and an overwhelming predilection for black; three components of the creative process which, when taken together, added up to radical magic.
The book, far from being a retrospective - a word Yamamoto detests almost as much as “trend” - will catch “Yohji today”, not with the ordinary chronological method, but with, according to the press release, ‘short fiction mostly based on live voice, accompanied by some vivid flashbacks of his key moments'. “The book is a lot about the man, about his philosophy in life and as well as the designer, so he is touching and writing about subjects that he never touched before,” a spokesman explained.
Yohji, 67, cuts an endearing and unique figure on the fashion scene, with his wispy beard, all-black clothes, ear-to-ear grin, and thick grey hair increasingly peeking out beneath a black hat. There can be few - if, indeed, any - who have strummed and sung the music ‘live’ to their own fashion show, something which the designer, a rock ‘n’ roll addict, with, at one time at least, his own band, in Tokyo, has done. He’s also something of a martial arts expert, with his own ‘dojo’ at his Tokyo home. And, like many a Japanese man, he enjoys a glass of whisky. He is also extremely thoughtful - on more than one occasion, during the freezing conditions which wrap Paris in an icy blanket during the March prêt-à-porter season, providing ‘survival’ blankets or rugs, for his shivering audience.
Yamamoto graduated with a degree in law from Keio in 1966, before studying fashion design at Bunka Fashion College, and going on to launch his own brand.
Today, after some four decades in the business, his collections retain an awesome freshness and knowing naivete and he consistently projects a sincere desire to pass his knowledge and experience onto younger generations, something which will be a cornerstone of the book. He is particularly proud of his daughter, Limi Feu, who made her Paris catwalk debut as a designer, in 2007, and regularly attends her shows.
The book will conclude with a year-to-year biography, illustrated by rare and personal images, which will share Yamamoto’s vision of his key personal moments.
“Yohji Yamamoto - My Dear Bomb”, by Yohji Yamamoto/Ai Mitsuda /www.ludion.be
Taken from the telegraph
Comment