Yohji Yamamoto ヨウジヤマモト

Yohji Yamamoto, born in Tokyo in 1943, studied law before turning to fashion design. In 1972 he launched his womenswear label Y's, holding his first Tokyo show in 1977, before founding his eponymous menswear-influenced label Yohji Yamamoto. His breakthrough came in April 1981, when he showed in Paris alongside fellow Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons — collections of oversized, asymmetrical, deliberately unfinished garments dominated by black that startled the Paris fashion establishment, long associated with fitted silhouettes and bright color.

That Paris debut established Yamamoto as one of the key figures of the 1980s 'Japanese avant-garde' movement in Western fashion, prized for deconstructed tailoring and a signature palette built almost entirely around black. He has since designed for dance and film, run diffusion lines such as Y-3 (with Adidas), and remains active leading his own house.