Why Is Y-3 Atelier Such a Big Deal? Professional Stylists Explain
Y-3, Yohji Yamamoto's longtime adidas partnership, is the designer/sportswear crossover that started it all. Before Pharrell laced up his Human Race Sambas and Virgil Abloh transformed Nike, Yamamoto and adidas were redefining the high-low mix-up.
Hitting global markets over two decades ago, Yohji Yamamoto and adidas' Y-3 line has continued to offer up era-defining designs that have played a pivotal role in highlighting the potential and marketability of collaborations between sportswear brands and fashion's design elite.
Y-3 set the tone for revitalized collaborative sneakers, from its innovative experiments with adidas staples to unique shapes like the Y-3 QASA. Nothing like it has come before or since.
Following Y-3's recent 20th anniversary, its come back to deliver what a press release describes as "the pinnacle of adidas Y-3," aptly named Y-3 Atelier.
Tugging on the strings of Y-3, which, at its heart, is a marriage of performance-inspired sportswear and avant-garde design, Y-3 Atelier is more conceptual exploration, a "dedicated offering that is set to boldly explore each season’s unique narrative arc."
Where adidas Y-3 proper has kept proximity to its sporting heritage through technical fabrication and functional silhouettes, Y-3 Atelier allows Yamamoto and Y-3 design team the freedom to devise items more in line with Yamamoto's mainline runway pieces.
What results is apparel that faithfully recreates the Japanese design legend's iconic black suits and dresses, updated with adidas' Three Stripes and cutting-edge textiles.
Playing to the line's conceptual nature, Y-3 Atelier launched at a pop-up retail and exhibition space in Paris hosted by SSENSE, where visitors were invited to browse pieces from the collection while exploring a gallery exhibition featuring photographic works by famous Japanese artist Daidō Moriyama.
There, SSENSE's team of personal stylists explained to Highsnobiety what makes Y-3 Atelier such a big deal.
“I was drawn to the picture Daido Moriyama took of this coat and the way he captured the silhouette of it," Anne-Sophie Savard said. "I love the structure of this coat and the details around the shoulders.”
“I chose the men’s reversible cut-off jacket because of its multi-purpose properties," finished Sandrine Lanot. "Using nylon as a fabric elevates my classic wardrobe and adds an athletic element to my style.”
“I tend to wear only black so the muted print is a very nice way to introduce pattern to my wardrobe," Arvin Li continued. "The material is also surprisingly lightweight, which is nice [when compared to typically] heavier trench coats.”
“I’m always drawn to oversized items with interesting details," offered Pauline Garcia. "I love the crossover wrap style and the closure detailing. I don’t agree with general concepts of sizing, which is probably why I gravitate towards loose clothing. For me, it’s all about playing with proportions.”
