From Wednesday, May 18th to Tuesday, May 31st, a pop-up store called "REDEFINING" will be held at The Stage in Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building . This pop-up store aims to "redefine the classics" of Yohji Yamamoto POUR HOMME, the brand created by designer Yohji Yamamoto. It will focus on the brand's signature style, as seen in its patterns, textiles, and processing, as well as the new elements of art and lifestyle that have been added in recent years. It will condense the essence that remains unchanged despite innovation and "redefine" the unique maison!

Available at Mitsukoshi Isetan Online Store
View Yohji Yamamoto product list

A groundbreaking event that redefines innovative fashion brands with "classic" items.

Since its launch in 1984, Yohji Yamamoto POUR HOMME has continued to run with a rebellious spirit that is not swayed by trends, and now this designer brand has confronted the concept of "classic" ---. "REDEFINING," which will be held for two weeks from Wednesday, May 18th at The Stage on the 1st floor Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building , promises to be an epoch-making pop-up store.

What becomes clear through this initiative is that the "patterns" that pursue ultimate wearability, the "textiles" that express a flowing drape and texture, and the "processing" such as dyeing and wrinkles that create exquisite nuances are all signature design codes of world-renowned designer Yohji Yamamoto, in other words, "classic" designs.

Furthermore, by encompassing new elements that advance the creation, such as collaborations with "artists" represented by Suzume Uchida and the expansion into "lifestyle" items like fragrances and towels, it's no exaggeration to say that Yohji Yamamoto is "redefining" the very image of masculinity that he envisions.

The store shelves are stocked with key items selected from the Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme Fall/Winter 2022 collection, which symbolize such "classic" pieces. The impressive lineup also includes the newly released fragrance series, loungewear, towels, and other items from the lifestyle collection, all gathered in one place.

Collaboration with artists and carefully selected textiles

First and foremost, we want to draw your attention to the latest collaboration with artist Suzume Uchida, who created the beautiful yet eerie "ghost paintings" for Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme's Spring/Summer 2018 collection, marking a striking first encounter.

The world depicted in Uchida's work, based on his own documentary, features a masterful coexistence of dazzling light and profound darkness. It seems to reveal the human condition and raw emotions that waver between ideals and reality. He has been collaborating with Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme every year since Spring/Summer 2018, for approximately five years.

The latest collaboration items with Mr. Uchida will be released in advance at this event. While his previous works have featured themes such as ghosts, this time, under the theme of "the truly important things are invisible," Mr. Uchida will present a collage of beautiful women that is both classic and majestic, in his own unique style. Because they are invisible, we repeatedly retrieve them from our memories to imagine and gaze upon them. He found the "imperfection" of the images that emerge behind our eyelids appealing, and expressed it through a collage combining multiple pencil sketches. There is no horror like in ghost paintings, but rather a world view that is full of delicacy, transience, and divinity.


Next, let's take a look at some of the representative textiles used by Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme: garment-dyed silk, cotton gabardine, and triacetate tuxedo twill.

Garment-dyed silk, as the name suggests, is dyed after the garment has been sewn, resulting in a unique texture and a beautiful contrast in color between the fabric and the sewing thread. It boasts a light, elegant, and smooth sheen, and its natural aging process and durability make it suitable for long-term use. The way Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme adds an extra touch to this luxurious material, expressing nuance and depth, is very characteristic of their style.

Similarly, cotton gabardine is a natural material characterized by its durability and the way it develops character with repeated wear. Its compatibility with military-inspired items and designs, which are an essential element of Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme, is also a key point.

The cotton gabardine, with its moderate thickness and firmness, yet supple and lightweight feel, combined with the brand's signature flowing silhouette, elevates authentic items such as mod coats, short blousons, and cargo pants into truly special pieces.

Finally, let me introduce triacetate tuxedo cloth. This is a glossy fabric originally intended for formal wear, woven from natural fibers made from wood pulp. Even if it becomes unwearable after several decades, it's biodegradable (it breaks down by microorganisms in soil and water), so it has virtually no environmental impact, which is a wonderful feature.

Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme has been using this textile in recent years, regardless of the season, and it boasts an elegant sheen, softness, and pleasant feel against the skin. While it's not exactly common in men's casual wear, it can be said to symbolize the brand's stance of not being bound by gender or existing conventions.

This season, this formal-looking material is being used in casual items such as open-collar short-sleeved shirts and harem pants. It offers a coolness that allows you to elegantly cope even in the scorching heat of midsummer, and the exquisite appearance created by the fusion of contrasting characteristics is also appealing. These are definitely must-have items.

A fusion of decadence and optimism, demonstrated through "wearable art."

Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme's Fall/Winter 2022 collection was presented in a runway show format at the Yohji Yamamoto Aoyama store. The latest collection, which draws inspiration from the stylish attire of men in old photographs dating back to the early 19th century when the camera first appeared, is very classical and centered on tailored clothing. However, Yohji's signature playfulness and modernity were evident throughout.

Among these, the collaboration with Polish artist Zdzisław Beksinski, known for his decadent worldview and majestic depictions, was particularly eye-catching. Zdzisław Beksinski, a genius often called the "painter of the end" due to his style that primarily uses death, despair, and ruins as motifs, never left Poland in his lifetime and passed away in 2005. However, it may be Yohji Yamamoto's own view of life and death that led him to decide to collaborate with this solitary artist, with whom he also seems to share some common ground with Suzume Uchida.

This season, Zdzisław Beksiński's designs have been incorporated into relaxed, oversized Aloha shirts and long shirts. Of these, all five Aloha shirt designs will be available exclusively Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building . Like the casual items made from tuxedo cloth, these Aloha shirts are masterpieces that symbolize Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme, mashing up contrasting elements such as decadence and optimism, death and life, tension and relaxation.

• ► Profile
  
  Zdzisław Beksiński
  

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  A Polish fantastic realist painter, photographer, and sculptor often mentioned alongside Ernst Fuchs and H.R. Giger. His dreamlike style, characterized by death, decay, and destruction, which permeate time and space as eternal ruins, and where only the soul of Eros seems to echo emptily, captivated fans worldwide and garnered overwhelming support. However, he denied being a fantasy painter, lived like a hermit in Poland, and never left the country during his lifetime. He passed away on February 21, 2005.

The "REDEFINING" challenge re-examines what constitutes a "classic."

Along with collaborations with artists, lifestyle collections such as fragrances, loungewear, towels, and turbans are essential new elements that have characterized Yohji Yamamoto in recent years.


"Odeur Yohji Yamamoto," a new genderless fragrance series, features delicate and light scents that Yohji Yamamoto, who is said to dislike perfume, consciously designed to avoid masking the wearer's individuality with strong fragrances and to be suitable for any person or occasion. With a wide variety of items including eau de cologne, room diffusers, soaps, and linen sprays, it's possible to be enveloped in your favorite scent in every aspect of your daily life.





Relaxing wear that allows you to enjoy a deeper sense of relaxation in situations where you don't interact with others, such as spending time at home, while still adhering to Yohji Yamamoto 's design codes, is also not to be missed. The "pack polos" (two polo shirts in a pack), a variation of the popular "pack T-shirts," as well as the fleece-lined cotton sweat hoodies and pants, are all likely to become new staples that you can add to your wardrobe regardless of the season.

In addition, the organic towel series, which was just launched last December, now includes new designs of large towels and towel turbans. The manufacturer, Ikeuchi Organic, is an organic cotton towel brand from Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture, which is known worldwide as a production area for high-quality towels. They power all of their factory and directly managed stores with wind power and have obtained Oeko-Tex Class 1 certification, which is the highest standard of safe textile products in the world, making them a trustworthy collaborator in terms of both quality and corporate attitude.

These new towels are original designs with meticulous attention to detail in size, design, color, and pile length. They can be used in a variety of ways, such as a rug, large stole, or towel blanket. The patterns feature iconic motifs such as "dove" and "skull rose" picked from the Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme archives, and are expressed in jacquard weave along with the signature logo, making them truly exceptional.

These loungewear items and towels, under the name Yohji Yamamoto Maison, will further enhance the lifestyle category.

Until now, Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme didn't have any so-called "staple" items that could be purchased regardless of the season, with the exception of white T-shirts and five-pocket denim pants. However, the dandyism of "speaking through one's back" without being bound by societal norms has continued to evolve unchanged for nearly 40 years since the brand's founding. This is undoubtedly because there are "staple" design codes in patterns, textiles, and processing at its core, and because it has made it a "staple" to draw inspiration from collaborations with up-and-coming artists of different talents and to challenge new initiatives in response to societal changes.

Redefining Yohji Yamamoto through the concept of "classic" items—you simply can't miss this exciting pop-up event.

Available at Mitsukoshi Isetan Online Store
View Yohji Yamamoto product list