Influential designer Yohji Yamamoto came into fashion honestly, learning to sew from his mother before attending the now highly prestigious Bunka Fashion College. Yamamoto emerged onto the Tokyo scene in 1976 and by 1981 had debuted his eponymous line in Paris with a runway show that initiated his standing as an avant-garde visionary—though he prefers the modest title of “dressmaker.” The award-winning label, along with its sublabels like Y’s and POUR HOMME, now boasts a dedicated global following for the designer’s masterful tailoring and antithetical approach to conventional Western silhouettes. Nearly half a century on, YOHJI YAMAMOTO continues to invoke a spirit of rebellion within its timeless, thought-provoking clothing.