Y-3 back with 'Future Thrift' fashion show

Yohji Yamamoto, the label’s designer, described an act of “walking backward into the future,” suggesting a unique, non-linear idea of time passing. Models walked the runway to music by Rinôçérôse and Ruth Brown while a front-row crowd including SamClaflin, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, A$AP Rocky, Casey Spooner, Leigh Lezark, and adidas Sport Style Creative Director Dirk Schönberger looked on.

The personal jetpack never came to pass and Mars remains unconquered. So what might the future really look like? And how will the next generation combine their technology with our tradition? These questions were the starting point of a collection described as “retro-dynamic,”“secondhand-tech,” and “visionary nostalgia.” The results are classic silhouettes realized in innovative fabrics—and vice versa—for a startlingly modern effect.

This might mean a traditional herringbone woven with a touch of Day-Glo yellow thread. Or a long pleated track-dress designed with a built-in PVC cape. Or a military-style tunic that unzips at the sides to reveal its neon lining. In the end, each piece strikes a balance between yesterday and tomorrow.

The women’s collection follows a style brief set forth last season with an emphasis on a feminine silhouette: defined shoulders, nipped waists, and long, swirling shapes. As always, dramatic volume is present, seen here in chic ruffled capes, mile-long ball skirts, olive drab sarouel pants, and cotton cardigans with splay sides.

Several pieces feature customizable details, such as the button-up hems on cotton parkas, removable skirts on tailored trousers, and snap-away PVC trim on everything from capes to blazers to dresses. Statement pieces included show-stopping “puffer” ball gowns—a touch of the avant-garde whimsy that is a Yamamoto signature.

Menswear meanwhile sticks to a theme of bold and bright, featuring tones of “ultra-pop” (acidgreen), “alpha-pop” (hot pink), and “warning” (bright orange). Sumptuous neon-stripe knits are paired with graphic prints that reinterpret camouflage in rigid patterns reminiscent of vintage architecture drawings.

Yet the collection also emphasizes elegant tailoring, evidenced by quilted blazers trimmed in grosgrain and button-down shirts inlaid with an abstract, barely perceptible Y-motif. As in the womenswear, modularity figures predominantly with reversible double-faced coated-cotton shirts and removable PVC elements on coats and pants.