Yohji Yamamoto: Poet of Black

Visionary designer Yohji Yamamoto has made a vital contribution to fashion, challenging the traditional norms of clothing with his avant-garde style.

Man with long grey hair and beard (Yamamoto) in a white coat, surrounded by dresses mounted on mannequins. He holds a container and paintbrush
Yohji Yamamoto exhibition installation, 2011. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

In this video, shot in his Tokyo studio in 2011, Yamamoto reflects on a 30 year career in fashion. The influential and enigmatic designer speaks about his creative values, considers how his work has evolved since his Paris debut and explains why he designs so differently for men and women.

We use third-party platforms (including Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube) to share some content on this website. These set third-party cookies, for which we need your consent. If you are happy with this, please change your cookie consent for Targeting cookies.

This film was originally produced for the Yohji Yamamoto exhibition, on display March – July 2011 at the V&A South Kensington.

See more of our Fashion Collections in our YouTube playlist.