Yohji Yamamoto Drawings

A collection of never-before published drawings from legendary Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto, shining a light on the creative process behind his radical work.

Flaming coats, slumped figures, and elegant dresses: Yohji Yamamoto’s drawings are far more than simply preparatory sketches. Rather, they are a glimpse into his unique vision of fashion. Yohji Yamamoto Drawings reveals previously unpublished drawings to offer readers rare insight into the world of one of fashion’s greatest living designers. Authored by fashion curator Alexandre Samson, the book features images selected by Yamamoto himself, with design support from Peter Saville.

Born in Tokyo in 1943, Yamamoto originally studied law. However,he found himself uninterested in entering the legal world, and instead began to work for his mother’s dressmaking business. He showed his first collection in 1977 in Tokyo, and later opened his own shop in Paris in 1981.

Alongside his main line, Yamamoto has also designed for films, including Brother and Until the End of the World. He launched his Y-3 line with Adidas in 2003, aiming to capture a younger audience.

While Yamamoto’s work remains critical to the contemporary fashion landscape, his drawings have never before been fully explored, with only a few examples previously published. These illustrations feature both menswear and womenswear designs and sketches. Presented across a variety of different papers―including old newspapers―they reflect an artist committed to exploring the limits of fashion.

This official publication stands as a key vision into Yamamoto’s unique body of work.