Bomb: To contribute to society in a rebellious stance—this is the artist’s mission.

Those who have never experienced ruin or degradation can hardly understand his inner world.

Yohji Yamamoto believes that creation itself is a form of destruction. To create is to break what already exists, to take something whole and transform it into something entirely different. In this sense, creation is destruction. And so, he set out to dismantle the very idea of “clothing.” His work always leaves us with a reminder: as we rush headlong toward what we call modernity, we must not forget the enduring sorrow and uncertainty that have always accompanied human existence.

To carefully read the cards life deals you, and to play the right one at the right moment to achieve the greatest effect—this is essential. Sipping chilled champagne in a hotel suite is certainly pleasurable, but in times of hardship, one should also be able to savor the simple delight of a cheap beer bought with one’s last few coins.

The evolution of a brand reflects Yamamoto’s attention to lifestyle.

He observed that people often fail to realize just how long their private time truly is. What seems unreasonable is that fashion is almost always about outward display. Compared to the time people spend living at home, fashion rarely takes a central role in domestic life. He wanted to extend the time in which fashion could be experienced and enjoyed, and so he developed a line of home products.

Find the point at the end of the clavicle, then decide whether the shoulder should rise or fall from that point. A good decision gives the shoulder its intended expression. In this sense, it is no exaggeration to call it the foundational point of clothing. Gravity pulls the garment down from the shoulder to the first button, the force of its drape cascading downward like lava flowing from a volcano.

Yamamoto’s process of cutting resembles painting. It begins from a single point, and the direction of the lines responds to the body’s intuitive use of force. In making garments, simply materializing an abstract concept is not enough. Works that rely solely on artistic ideas, or that attempt to translate a viewpoint directly into form, rarely resonate with consumers. In the end, everything comes back to human hands and perception, which both shape and limit the final form.

Because this process is essential, he does not consider garment making to be purely art. It is through the body and the hands that culture is transmitted. And in order to express the soul, one must discipline the hands.