Heritage meets avant-garde futurism for Y-3 AW19

In these uncertain times, you have to strip things back to the basics. And when you’re Yohji Yamamoto and adidas those basics just so happen to be the architecture and vocabulary of modern streetwear as we know it. For over fifteen years Y-3 has been the meeting point of two distinct design philosophies – a dance between avant-garde futurism and high-tech heritage.

Their most ambitious collaboration to date, AW19 sees the Japanese designer and German athletics pioneer raid each others archives to reinvent the classics. Focusing on three key eras: the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, the collection centres on bold graphic logos and Yamamoto’s unique interpretation of archival adidas tracksuits. Layered silhouettes in neutral grey, ecru and off-white hues are juxtaposed with a bolder vintage colour palette featuring Yohji’s signature red and navy.

Visualised as a evening wear – the jumpsuit is elevated beyond the utilitarian with an acidic floral print called ‘toketa’, inspired by the Japanese tradition of ikebana.

Seamlessly constructed, quietly confident and never resting on its laurels Y-3’s window into the future is always bound by a respect and reverence for all that has gone before.