YOHJI YAMAMOTO

Yamamoto made his way onto the international fashion scene shortly after Kawakubo, and like her, he was enamoured with the colour black and its infinite variations. Yamamoto was also interested in expanding society’s idea of masculinity and male beauty. Long before diversity became an industry buzzword, Yamamoto was already showcasing models of different ages, shapes and shades on his runways. He clad them in cinematic clothes that were both rugged and romantic, at once incredibly rich and impeccably restrained. Oversized suits may have been the look du jour the past few years, but they have always been part of the Yamamoto oeuvre; in his hands, they are always elegant, never comically exaggerated—which pretty much sums up the designer’s approach to fashion. The designer’s fall/winter 2022 collection riffs on 19th-century menswear, but imbues it with the nonchalance of 21st-century streetwear.