Y-3 A/W 15-16

Collaboration brand, Y-3 consisting of renowned Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto and sports leaders adidas (The Y is for Yohji and the 3 represents adidas) have been revolutionising street style for the last 5 years. The A/W 15 collection showed no sign of stopping with unexpected tailoring, military references and new additions to their oh so iconic sneaker collection.

Yohji entitled the show “Royal Air Force” and “wanted to come back to the nostalgic air force outfit.” Models walked down the landing strip runway in pioneer-esque traditional silhouettes and pilot helmets in tones of olive green, royal blue and grey. The emblem of winged chevrons was present throughout, seen on herringbone jackets and white flashes on leather laces.

adidas’ iconic classic triple stripe was incorporated in unexpected ways including trailing across the knee of black leggings and the hem of jackets. Multi swatch material pieces and back pocketed bombers served a fun Yohji quirk to his signature shade; black.

This collection of course added to Y-3’s impressive sneaker repertoire. The pilot-slickness was fused with heavy duty silhouettes and sportswear materials like neoprene and canvas. Highlights included the Desert Boost in military khaki which took inspiration from this classic Y-3 trainer but incorporated a neoprene and lycra outersole. For those who lean towards a more traditional shape, the Y-3 honja low sneaker incorporated monochrome chevrons with a flash of red at the heel on a Stan Smith-esque sneaker.

This collection demonstrates Yohji’s ability to defy sportswear conventionalities with his endless creative intelligence, turning simplicity into brilliance.

Text: Olivia Jones