Born in Tokyo in 1943, Yohji Yamamoto’s childhood was defined by war and global politics. As the son of a war widow, Yamamoto naturally rebelled against the ongoing nationalist culture and pursued the arts, helping his mother Fumi Yamamoto with her small dressmaking shop in Tokyo. The rebellion continued as he developed a passion for martial arts during his early schooling and studies at Bunka Fashion College. His relationships with karate instructor Richard Amos and dance choreographer Pina Bausch elevated his love for martial arts. Before his collaboration with adidas and the creation of Y-3, Yamamoto became a black belt in karate and began to connect his passion for martial arts to his fashion endeavors. With the sportswear titan, Yohji Yamamoto would reintroduce and redefine several silhouettes that focused on boxing, martial arts, and karate. Two decades later, these silhouettes have paved the next chapter of adidas Originals: a Low-Profile future.
Yohji Yamamoto as a student at Okubo Elementary School (Source: Nikkei Asia)
The Beginning
Growing up in the rough, gang-ridden neighborhoods of Tokyo, Yohji Yamamoto practiced judo for self-defense. He first went to Yodobashi Police Station to learn from a detective in the juvenile division. Then, when he transferred to Gyosei, a Catholic School, Yamamoto was mocked for being a weak kid. This motivated him to attend Kodokan, a head temple of judo in Central Tokyo to further his skills. However, after graduating from Bunka Fashion College and debuting his namesake brand in Tokyo and Paris, Yohji Yamamoto became too busy to continue his martial arts journey. Eight years after the brand’s Paris debut in 1981, Yohji Yamamoto became tired of making clothes; his weight plummeted to around 35kg (77lbs). The constant airplane rides for work were painful for Yamamoto, as work overshadowed his health. Meanwhile, an unexpected connection began to bloom: Yohji’s mother, Fumi Yamamoto, befriended a young British karate instructor who had relocated to Tokyo to train at the headquarters of the Japan Karate Association. The instructor, Richard Amos, started teaching Mrs. Yamamoto English in exchange for home-cooked meals. The more time Amos spent with Fumi-san, the closer he became with the Yamamoto household.
Richard Amos and Yohji Yamamoto, 1993 (Source: Facebook)
In 1992, Vogue reached out to Yohji Yamamoto for an article about his life outside of the rigorous fashion schedule. Work had consumed Yamamoto, and at that point, there was little beyond work in his life – he had nothing to say. Searching for an answer, Yamamoto reached out to Richard Amos to do a staged karate performance. The shoot took place during an instructor’s class, and Yamamoto reignited his passion for martial arts. He immediately wanted to train with Amos. The first sessions began in the basement of his Tokyo home, and Yamamoto could barely get through the warmup stretch because he was so out of shape. As they continuously pushed the limits of Yohji’s body, Yamamoto rekindled his childhood love for martial arts and trained four sessions a week. He created a formal JKA (Japanese Karate Association) dojo in his home and named it Azabu-shibu. The brand’s staff joined the weekly training sessions, and Azabu-shibu slowly became a hub for the intelligentsia of Tokyo via Yamamoto’s or Amos’ respective communities. After 5 years, Yohji Yamamoto became a Black Belt in karate and established a beautiful balance between his work and his health. He utilized karate to strengthen his body and mind, falling in love with the artful tension that exists in the serious competition of the sport.
“I prefer practicing kata (set patterns of movements against an imaginary opponent) rather than kumite (actual combat), and as I'm rather small, I like the fast katas like unsu or empi. My favorite movements are the mawashi-geri (circular kick) or the mawashi-empi uchi (circular poke with the elbow).” - Yohji Yamamoto, New York Times - Side Kick (March 2004)
Dance & Movement
Another major influence on Yohji Yamamoto during his life journey was Pina Bausch. Born in 1940 in Solingen, Germany, Bausch was a dancer and choreographer who helped pioneer the neo-expressionist dance tradition, Tanztheater. When Yamamoto saw Bausch perform, he was in total shock. To him, she represented the perfect silhouette and essence of body movement. Bausch became a muse for Yamamoto and inspired the Spring Summer 1990 collection, fully dedicated to dance.
Pina Bausch and Yohji Yamamoto, 1998 (Source: MyClothingArchive)
In 1998, Bausch asked Yamamoto to contribute to the 25th anniversary of her dance company in her German hometown, Wuppertal. With no hesitation, Yamamoto pitched “an improvised competitive performance between the physical expression of a dance and karate,” bridging their two worlds together in harmony. For the show, he designed outfits for each of her dancers and brought a group of martial arts experts to collaborate with the performance; Yamamoto even joined the dancers on stage to perform karate. The celebration was a beautiful showcase of Bausch’s and Yamamoto’s life passions.
3-Stripes
The new millennium introduced a unique relationship to the industry: adidas and Yohji Yamamoto. Initially attracted by the imagery of the 3-stripes of the sportswear titan, Yamamoto resonated with the philosophy that adidas continuously showcased through their commitment to ordinary people, not just fashion specialists. He believed in the brand’s philosophy of honoring their original identity and history.Yamamoto also connected with the low-profile, minimalist silhouettes that adidas was releasing during this period. He added his own vision to these shoes, creating a new perspective on the low-profile adidas models. The first style was the boxing boot, which featured the Yohji Yamamoto signature embroidered on the lateral side panels, a Satin padded tongue, unique materials, and innovative color-blocking. They were worn by models in the FW2001 show, blending the shoe with asymmetrical blousons, wrap style dresses, and oversized tailored coats. The models were dressed for the fashion runway as well as a martial arts sporting competition. This was also one of the first times the fashion runway featured sneakers from a global footwear brand. The relationship was slowly blooming.
Yohji Yamamoto FW2001 Runway Show featuring newly created boxing shoe (Source: Vogue)
Yohji Yamamoto FW2001 Runway Show featuring newly created boxing shoe (Source: Vogue)
The adidas SM-II, later renamed the adidas Taekwondo, was a silhouette dedicated to martial arts. The original pairs, first released in 2000, featured an adidas Martial Arts logo, Made in Korea tag, a top lace above the tongue shroud for security, and the famous leather 3D quilting on the toe. The 2003 rendition of the model, the adidas Mei Taekwondo, was a low-profile split-outsole training shoe with a distinct holed tongue. These silhouettes would inspire Yamamoto to create a version named after his initials: YY Mei Brocade.
The adidas YY Mei Brocade featured a split-soled adidas Mei tooling with a fancy Brocade fabric upper. Each pair was unique due to the difference in the pattern of the fabric; no pair shared the same pattern. Initially featured on the runway in the Yohji Yamamoto Women’s SS2002 show, this shoe furthered the relationship between adidas and Yamamoto because this was one of the first times a lifestyle segment was introduced that bridged the gap between fashion and sportswear. Their goal was to revolutionize that relationship with Yohji Yamamoto.
adidas 'YY Mei Brocade' (Source: MyClothingArchive)
adidas 'YY Mei Brocade' (Source: Vogue Italia)
The relationship started with a request for footwear for a runway show. Adidas later requested Yamamoto’s creative expertise for their athleticwear. This led to the development of an entire line, and later led to the creation of Y-3. The collaboration built the foundations for contemporary fashion athleticwear and helped establish a stronger bridge between the fashion runways and the everyday sports. While pioneering fashion athleticwear with Y-3 in the 2000s, Yamamoto became the Chairman of the KWF (Karatenomichi World Federation), an international non-profit karate organization with its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. In 2007, he provided opening remarks for the 4th KWF World Cup, an international karate tournament. Not only was Yamamoto impacting the fashion and footwear industry, he continued to develop his martial arts community.
Yohji Yamamoto as President of the Karatemichi World Federation (Source: KWF)
As adidas and Yamamoto furthered their partnership through the 2010s, the martial arts and karate references continued. For the AW2010 runway show, which took place on Valentine’s Day in the Park Avenue Armory theater in New York, Yamamoto saved his best performance for last. He concluded the fashion show with a martial arts fight with fellow designer Jeremy Scott. As they dueled in the middle of the runway stage, it brought back memories of young Yamamoto in the Yodobashi Police Station, Kodokan, and Azabu-shibu with Richard Amos. Yohji ultimately won the fight with a final karate-chop, only to be swiftly taken out by Danish fashion model Freja Beha.
Yamamoto and Y-3 have referenced martial arts in their footwear creations as well. The 2019 Y-3 adidas Taekwondo W was a laceless slip-on low-profile sneaker created for women. With a strong resemblance to the original adidas Taekwondo and YY Mei Brocade, Yamamoto approached this silhouette through the minimalist Y-3 scope. He had this same approach with the Y-3 Boxing Trainers, a shoe inspired by the classic boxing footwear staple, but reimagined with a low-top cut and low-profile rubber outsole. All of these silhouettes in the Yohji Yamamoto and Y-3 portfolio are vital precursors to the reintroduction of the Low-Profile family by the adidas Originals team. Styles such as the adidas Mei and adidas Taekwondo play a big role in the Low-Profile storytelling, as the branding remains consistent with the original silhouettes from the adidas archive – the minimalist approach remains the same, decades later. By embracing the legacy and history of these shoes, Yamamoto and adidas are able to tell honest, full-circle stories through their creations. These stories follow Yamamoto’s journey as a Black Belt in karate as well as adidas’ journey through martial arts and the fashion runway.
The two decades relationship between Yohji Yamamoto and adidas prevails onward. The goal was to redefine a world where fashion and athleticwear coexist in harmony– now, both partners embrace their history together to prepare for the future. A Future Focused On Low-Profile.
"I want to work with a sneaker company to create sneakers that don't exist anywhere else." - Yohji Yamamoto, “Sports Brands’ Fashion Style” (May 2002) via MyClothingArchive
Credits
YOHJI YAMAMOTO & KARATE - MyClothingArchiveYOHJI YAMAMOTO AUTUMN/WINTER 2001-2002 - MyClothingArchiveChasing Bushido: How I Learned to Just Say Osu (2020) - Richard AmosAdidas The Story As Told By Those Who Have Lived And Are Living It (2011) - Keith CooperI-D Magazine 184 - The Kinetic Issue / GRAND MASTER FLASH (1999)System Magazine - Yohji-san (2019)Interview Magazine - Yohji Yamamoto (2013) - Wim WendersNew York Times - Side Kick (2004) - Yohji YamamotoAsia Nikkei - My Personal History (2022) - Yohji Yamamoto
