I’ve long admired Yohji’s work, but this collection left me with mixed feelings. It's unmistakably Yohji, yet I feel the conviction that usually sits beneath the clothes was missing. The oversized shoulders lacked the balance that Yohji usually achieves through proportion. The decorative buttons on Look 5 felt like an afterthought, rather than part of Yohji’s way of letting fastening reshape the garment.

The graphic t-shirt prints were disappointing. They felt surprisingly literal, more commercial, unlike previous prints which have made a statement or been genuinely beautiful. Yohji has explored romance and softness many times before, but here the use of lace didn’t feel like it added anything poetic. He returned to distressed knitwear, something he has explored before, and those pieces still felt connected to his philosophy of decay, imperfection and clothes that have already lived a life.

Look 24, with its deep red velvet, was striking because it expanded his world without abandoning it. Those moments reminded me that Yohji does not need to rely solely on black to remain himself. What I didn't resonate with was the continuation of fabric ideas from FW26 with the abstract graphic prints, but a little more subtle, at least.

Perhaps what concerns me most is a broader question. Is the house beginning to search for a younger audience appeal? If so, why do we assume they need something different? Yohji Yamamoto has never needed to chase youth culture because youth has always found him on its own. The moment the brand starts adapting itself to contemporary trends, it risks blending into the very fashion landscape it helped challenge. His work has always offered an alternative to fashion's constant demand for novelty. The clothes still looked like Yohji. They just didn't always feel like him.

Mizuki

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Yohji Yamamoto

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