Featured work by Yohji Yamamoto

Two black suits, Yohji Yamamoto, Spring/Summer 2009

'When I started a men's line in Paris, my message was very simple: let's be outside of this. Let's be far from our suits and ties. Let's be far from businessmen. Let's be vagabonds'.

The menswear silhouette Yohji Yamamoto introduced from the mid 1980s onwards - loose black suit jacket, wide trousers and white T-shirt - became almost a uniform for the well-dressed man in the creative industries.

Long off-white sleeveless dress, Yohji Yamamoto, Spring/Summer 1992

'This is my idea for a woman's body. I like the curve of a woman's back. I always watch her silhouette in the streets'.

One of Yamamoto's most inspiring encounters was with German choreographer Pina Bausch. To Yamamoto, Bausch represented the perfect silhouette. Also, both their work allowed space for the viewer and wearer's interpretation. Yamamoto designed a number of collections in homage to Bausch, including this silhouette.

Long red coat, long black dressand black top, Yohji Yamamoto, Autumn/Winter 1995-96

'Fabric is everything. Often I tell my pattern makers, "Just listen to the material. What is it going to say? Just wait. The material will probably teach you something"'.

These three silhouettes, with coats in red carded wool and structured dresses are reminiscent of late 19th-century fashions and mirror the frequent appearance of red in the 15th-century Devonshire Hunting Tapestries.

Two long white dresses, Yohji Yamamoto, Autumn/Winter 1996-97

'I'm searching for a new proportion. What interests me is the 'space' between the person wearing the clothes and the clothes themselves - the airiness, the movement, the silhouette'.

The space between the garment and the body is of great importance to Yamamoto. It allows the wearer to inhabit the garment naturally, without being constricted by its shape. The structure of these two sculptural white felt pieces, determined partly by the material itself, offers such a space.

Black jacket, white shirt and black trousers, Yohji Yamamoto, Autumn/Winter 2004-05

'For me, a woman who is absorbed in her work, who does not care about gaining one's favour, strong yet subtle at the same time, is essentially more seductive. The more she hides and abandons her femininity, the more it emerges from the very heart of her existence'.

Yamamoto designs outside gender stereotypes, at times in direct opposition to them. He is particularly known for his white shirts and dark suits, all carefully tailored yet androgynous in shape.

Purple screen-printed shirt and blue denim jeans, Yohji Yamamoto, Spring/Summer 2002

'I wanted people to wear my clothes for at least ten years, so I asked the fabric maker to make a very strong, tough finish. It's very close to designing army clothing'.

A key inspiration for Yohji Yamamoto is military and utility wear because it is designed for a very distinct function and made to last. This menswear silhouette also reveals the humour in his menswear creations through the placement of prints and words.

Yohji Yamamoto installation

A view from the Yohji Yamamoto installation which was held in Gallery 38 at the V&A from 12 March - 10 July 2011.

Yellow dress and oversized hat, Yohji Yamamoto, Spring/Summer 1997

Yellow strapless silk dress and oversized coolie hat covered with draped silk from the Yohji Yamamoto installation which was held in Gallery 38 at the V&A from 12 March - 10 July 2011.

Yohji Yamamoto installation

A view from the Yohji Yamamoto installation which was held in Gallery 38 at the V&A from 12 March - 10 July 2011.