Yohji Yamamoto Drawings

Due out on 29 October and published by Thames & Hudson, this graphic compilation of sketches, designs and figurines means so much more than what Yohji himself takes them to be, calling them ‘just drawings’. For once, our dear Poet of Black is wrong. These glimpses into his mind reveal the way he conceives garments and silhouettes before they exist and how faithfully they translate into fabric and material. They are far more complex, important and revealing than his description suggests. ‘This book tells the story of a discovery,’ says the author of the book, Alexandre Samson. This is a much more accurate definition of what the publication is shaping up to be.

“It all began in a warehouse in Tokyo one afternoon in May 2024. Inside [a pile of cardboard boxes] were many hundreds of sheets of paper, bundled together or filed in ring binders … What had initially been mistaken for paperwork was in fact original artwork, drawn by the fashion house’s founder,” further explains Samson, fashion historian and curator at Palais Galliera. The images inside were selected by Yohji, and none other than Peter Saville was in charge of the design, a true meeting of great creative minds.