After a Decade Away, Yohji Yamamoto Finally Reopens in America
Over a decade after Yohji Yamamoto shuttered his New York flagship shop, the famed Japanese designer is finally returning to the Big Apple.
On September 1, Yamamoto will open a new storefront dedicated to his mainline collections, his first store in America since 2010 and only his fourth outside of Japan.
Yohji Yamamoto, Inc. purchased its space at 52 Wooster Street way back in late 2021 and has been at work preparing the store for years — it was initially planned to launch in 2022, then early 2023, but has only finally been completed in time for a September 1 debut.
Yamamoto's new store, described to Highsnobiety in a phone call as "dynamic" and "digital-friendly," in will offer both the designer's mainline womenswear and Pour Homme menswear collections along with sub-labels like Y's and LIMI Feu, the brand founded by Yamamoto's daughter.
"The Yohji Yamamoto New York Wooster store will serve as an opportunity for future business expansion in the U.S. and will have the largest offer of the collection in the country," the brand said in a press release, hinting at Yamamoto's future American plans.
Yamamoto previously operated two stores in New York: one on Grand Stret in Soho and a cherry location on Gansevoort by Meatpacking, since repurposed into a Marni store.
It's a good time for Yohji Yamamoto, Inc., which underwent a restructuring and brand repositioning over the past 12 years that's since brought Yamamoto's name in close contact with big collaborators like the Giants baseball team, NEIGHBORHOOD, and Supreme, the latter of which teamed up with Yamamoto not once but twice.
Yamamoto's company has also expanded its in-line product offering, relaunching all-important sub-label Y's For Men and introducing youthful imprint WILDSIDE. Yamamoto's international web store was also recently revamped and Yamamoto stores were recently opened in Taiwan and China.
Furthermore, I'd argue that Yamamoto's mainline lines are the strongest they've been in years, with exquisite textiles informing silhouettes that're utterly dialed in.
Celebrities are also big-time on-board with Yamamoto's designs, both new and old.
The Weeknd, for instance, wore custom Yamamoto for Halloween 2022 while models like Irina Shayk and Kylie Jenner have been spotted wearing vintage Yamamoto clothes as of late.
Oh, and Yamamoto's adidas-led Y-3 label has never been stronger. The NYC Y-3 store is merely a few blocks over from the new Yohji Yamamoto store.
Yamamoto's eponymous collections will continue to be stocked at local boutiques like Bergdorf Goodman, IF Soho, and Atelier NYC. It's merely that his new flagship store will offer a deeper selection.
Note that the new Yohji Yamamoto store itself isn't terribly expansive, comprising only a slice of the building at 52 Wooster.
But for American Yamamoto aficionados, of which there are many, this store essentially functions as a trip to the promised land.
