Y-3 returns for the first chapter of its Spring/Summer 2022 collection. Serving as part of the inimitable brand’s 20th anniversary celebrations, Chapter 1 represents the first foray into a year long thematic exploration of Y-3’s past, present, and future – boldly dubbed “20 Years: Re-Coded”. Looking back on key moments, designs, materials, and silhouettes from the brand’s history, Y-3 reimagines its own identity for tomorrow. Never ones for passive sentimentality adidas and Yohji Yamamoto’s latest collection poignantly draws on Y-3’s collective memory with pieces that distort and subvert past icons from the archive in order to once-again revolutionize the landscapes of sport and fashion.
Chapter 1, referring to the concept of Transformative Nostalgia, sees Y-3 take on its own history of relaxed tailoring and adaptable design through the provocative distortion of adidas and Yohji Yamamoto’s iconic visual codes. Channeling the brand’s quintessential approach to layering, Chapter 1 wraps the wearer in slouchy elegance with transformable garments that luxuriously drape on the body.
Bringing the brand’s unforgettable story to life, a commemorative label celebrating 20 years of adidas and Yohji Yamamoto features internally throughout the collection and externally as a printed graphic on select pieces. Meanwhile, adidas’ iconic three stripes adornment is subversively reimagined as the chapter’s aesthetic motif. In addition, the collection also features a number of accessories, such as caps, beanies, adjustable bags, socks, belts, and scarves.
Accompanying the launch of the first chapter of the Y-3 Spring/Summer 2022 collection is an explosively dynamic campaign shot by Gabriel Moses and styled by Robbie Spencer, with creative direction from Jamie Reid. Uniquely powerful choreography from Blackhaine innovatively centres the campaign in motion as a group of dancers artistically reinterpret and reimagine the very notion of sporting movement. A subversive ode to Y-3’s inherent DNA, with a focus on individual moments, the series of expressive visuals explores the artistic middle ground between dance and sport. In addition to the Chapter 1 campaign, Y-3 also calls upon footballing legend and friend of the brand Zinedine Zidane for a set of celebratory visuals. Having featured in campaigns and walked during runway shows throughout Y-3’s 20 year history, Zidane represents key moments from the brand’s past, re-coded for the future. Shot by Gabriel Moses, the additional campaign brings Yohji Yamamoto’s signature poise, precision, and control to the fore through the lens of the iconic star.
