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YOHJI YAMAMOTO
« Juste des vêtements » exhibition at the Musée de la Mode et du Textile in Paris

Pictures: Catherine Thiry

« For years, I rejected the idea of a retrospective of my work. It was like bringing back your own mistakes in front of your eyes; all I wanted to do were “here” and “how” clothes, that’s all. Last year when I was invited by Béatrice Salmon and Raffaello Napoleone, I abandoned my conception of what I understood as a retrospective. I began to hope that I could leave something. This was the starting point of “Correspondances””. Yohji Yamamoto

The Musée de la Mode et du Textile adds a new chapter to its series of « carte blanche » invitations, opening its doors to past or present designers, by offering Yohji Yamamoto his first Parisian monographic exhibition, showcasing the hidden parts of his work on clothing, as well as a selection of iconic garments, from his beginning in the 80’s to more recent creations. Throughout the 80’s and 90’s, the Japanese designer has closely collaborated with artistic directors Marc Ascoli and M&M to develop a highly individual imagery, with photographers such as Nick Knight, Max Vadukul, Peter Lindbergh, Craig McDean, David Sims, Paolo Roversi, Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin.

On the first floor, set designer Masao Nihei, a long-time Yamamoto associate, re-creates the designer’s Tokyo studio. The second floor is dedicated to the fruitful dialogue between Yohji and haute couture’s greatest names: Madame Grès, Coco Chanel, Cristobal Balenciaga, Elsa Schiaparelli, Madeleine Vionnet…