Ever wondered what space apparel could look like? Discover Y3 and search no further. Apparel, accessories, footwear, all that is developed by adidas Y-3 comes up as a space-age aesthetic experience.
Thinking about the future is often seen as one of two things: really hopeful and/ or really frightening. Somewhere within those two relative extremes is a happy medium, something to hang your hat on as a moderate choice.
Streetwear brands have taken different interpretations of the future of their industry in much the same way. From new material combinations from old base fabrics to mixing colors to put together new hues, it’s really all about one informing the other in this sense.
With so many different big name fashion houses going down this route, it’s hard imagining an established name bucking that trend entirely.
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Y-3 Virgin Galactic Project
Image Credit: Y-3
adidas meets Yohji Yamamoto
It’s even less believable that two brands would take this path, working together, and taking it to another extreme. Y-3 adidas is futurism without fear of how awkward it might all get.
Made up of the partnership between adidas and acclaimed Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto, the brand is about as concerned with the trials of futuristic fashion design as you would expect from Yamamoto. Meaning, absolutely zero.
After all, this is the man splitting his time between high brown garment design and putting together costumes for theatrical productions. He isn’t, and never was, very concerned with conventions.
adidas Y-3 Qasa High ‘Independence Day Pack’
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Silhouettes like the Future High, the Y3 Noci, Kyujo High, or even the Qasa High sneakers with infamous variations like the Y-3 Qasa High Triple Black or the High Triple Whites are among the most famous models developed by the brand. All these pieces of footwear seem to be destined to shape the ethos of Y-3: into the future, forever.
Into the 21st century and beyond:
In 2002, we see our first taste of the partnership between adidas and Mr. Yamamoto. A Spring/Summer occasion, that collection was, for lack of a better description, an uncomfortable breath of fresh air. With extended fabric cuts and interesting pattern combinations, it was a lot to take in.
Everything, from the more overt pieces to the slightly more sedate, seemed taken straight from a dystopian novel. With that being said, it was wholly new and unique.
Image Credit: Y-3
What about the future?
Flash forward to the more modern releases of this partnership and there is somehow, more of the same. After spending the better part of the last two decades redefining how to see the future of fashion, Y3 isn’t done messing with our heads.
The purpose is still clear through the designs: sport meets high-end luxury in a clean but somber set of garments. But, because we’re talking about Yohji, there’s always more than what we see or hold.
The collections:
The Future Sport AOP Bomber jacket is an appropriate example of this. The build is standard, accompanied by an overall print that comes from a digitally altered image.
But, as we look closer, the special qualities become clearer. Namely, this AOP jacket is made of what the brand calls structured spacer material, finished with streetwear appropriate long sleeves and a reversible collar.
Image Credit: END. Clothing
It really is complicated to deliver on the promise of futurism without fear. Yet, somehow, adidas and Y3 continue on their excellence path. Even the more low key pieces seem to be screaming the brand’s deliberate substance.
Clear example? The Dart Shirt, a somber and tonal garment you might not ever notice if it were to stroll by you, is as plain as shirts get. Inspired by “the connection between nature and technology” it represents this by hiding some function behind its simplistic form.
Most worthy of note is how the buttons are hidden behind the shirts completely cotton build. It boasts some durability. But, perhaps, more importantly, there is a clean finish that sticks to the brand’s futuristic and SciFi ambitions (if you are into science fiction meets reality, check out this collaboration project with Virgin Galactic). However, one thing is always clear: all of this happens without sacrificing aesthetic appeal.
In fact, nearly all of the pieces in Y-3’s extensive catalog are in a universally wearable Black or Grey. Perhaps that may be the one thing about these pieces that is remotely conventional.
Image Credit: Y-3