If we had to use just one word to describe Yohji Yamamoto’s SS27 collection, it would be “organic.” Organic in its shapes, which seem to develop directly on the body, but also in the way the collection evolves look after look, continually transforming the same elements. This duality between structure and lightness has always been a hallmark of the Japanese designer’s aesthetic.
It all begins exclusively with the dresses: black, flowing, crafted from fabrics with a deliberately raw appearance and featuring constructions that embrace the body without constraining it. Seams shift, collars and skirts take on sculptural forms, fringes accompany movement, and asymmetry becomes poetic. Black is a color that, throughout the history of fashion, has taken on virtually every possible meaning: from the little black dress to the revenge dress, from the most explicit sex appeal to the rigor of a uniform. For Yamamoto, it is identity—a space in which to focus on form, movement, and the person wearing the garment.
After several collections dominated by black, red makes its appearance, followed by purple, lilac, gray, olive green, and blue. Color blends into the garments through prints and organic embellishments, while the initial design elements are combined in ever-changing ways. Fringes become shoulder straps; organic silhouettes shift from skirts to shoulders and hips or wrap around the body; and shades overlap to create new patterns.
Each dress interacts with the one before it and the one after it, thus remaining true to the concept of a “collection” in its most literal sense, yet each look stands perfectly on its own. The silhouettes are complemented by fans and flat, slim shoes—essential elements designed not to interfere with the movement of the dresses.
Then suits with pants and the same elements as the dresses make their appearance, once again reimagined. With sheer fabrics, plunging necklines, and glimpses of skin that are never fully revealed, the collection takes a more sensual turn; even the looser dresses become unexpectedly flirty for the brand, though always in Yamamoto’s signature style.
From the first look to the last, Yamamoto consistently uses the same design vocabulary: black, asymmetry, construction, fluidity, fringes, sheer fabrics, and color. But he breaks it down and reassembles it to generate infinite possibilities—ones that speak to different women while perfectly coexisting within the same vision. Because creating variety by constantly changing one’s language is relatively simple; managing to never repeat oneself while remaining faithful to that same language is a gift reserved for geniuses.
And after seeing the collection, the words Yohji Yamamoto used to preview the show on social media resonate even more strongly: “Let the moment, the movement, and the clothing speak to you—they are meant to be felt with your senses, not merely digitally recorded.” Because this SS27 collection truly thrives on movement and reminds us of something we risk forgetting in an era where fashion shows are instantly transformed into content: before becoming an image, fashion is something to be worn and felt.
[📸 Getty Images]
