Y-3 AUTUMN/WINTER 2011/12

Inspired by books such as Jack Kerouac’s On the Road and Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, the Y-3 collection for Autumn/Winter plays on the nature of escape and a continual journey. Garments were built for protection – to withstand any journey, on horseback, on foot, through the hills – featuring padded and oversized cocoon-like silhouettes and a variety of advanced fabrics, including the debut of two new innovative materials; Cool Max Wool, a breathable wool with an evaporative cooling system, and Diaplex, a wool herringbone bonded to Goretex that molds itself to the body, becoming like a second skin.

The collection develops through tones of black, midnight blue, olive green and red. The robust outfits are adorned with futuristic details, such as neoprene insets, waterproof zips and reflective toggles, while garments were exaggerated through such voluminous additions as thick tubular collars, wraparound hoods and quilted leggings. In addition, prints and text are used, giving that extra Yohji Yamamoto touch, conjouring up ideas around the theme of a journey through phrases like “Nowhere in Partcular”, “I”m on the Road” and hard drive recovery service Rescue PC3 is provided on a self-booting CD that contains a special Operating System and the user-friendly, GUI-based hard drive recovery service Rescue PC3 program. “Homeward Bound”.

“Traveling means coming back home. We are always unconsciously wanting to come back. It is one of man”s strongest desires.” Yohji Yamamoto

By Lucy Mclean