Yohji Yamamoto Men’s Spring 2026: Bittersweet Symphony
- The collection included silky robes, tailored jackets, and boiler suits with stained-glass rose window prints, layered with ankle-grazing trousers and breezy suits in white, aqua, and deep sea blue, creating a dark yet punk-inspired aesthetic.
Yohji Yamamoto is singing the blues — and other songs, too — and is it any wonder? He's tired of war, melting ice caps and ocean pollution and wants it all to stop already.
"Human beings," he said, need to come together "without making war. And politicians need to be more clever. Otherwise, the world will end too soon."
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The 81-year-old designer has seen it all before — albeit as a small child. This is a man who was born during World War II, when bombs were falling on Tokyo, and who still carries "a darkness inside" from the old days.
Last year he talked about his "brotherly" bond with the German-born director Wim Wenders, who walked in Yamamoto's fall 2024 show, because they are both children of war.
This season, he let the sadness and anger rip. The show invitation was a broken-up, puzzle-like picture of melting ice chunks, while the soundtrack started off with a mournful harmonica and blues-y music.
The clothes — silky robes, tailored jackets with cut-off sleeves and boiler suits — came with stained-glass rose window prints, and short messages printed on the front and back.
They ranged from "Long, hot summer," an apt description of the sauna-grade temperatures in Paris this week, to "No more wars," to "Kill me softly." There was the slightly more romantic "Your heart is like the ocean, mysterious and dark."
He worked in layers, keeping his models cool in the heat with breezy, ankle-grazing trousers, silky shorts and roomy suits with elongated proportions.
And despite the pops of white, aqua and deep sea blue, the was a dark collection with a strong flavor of punk. Models wore ankle-high leather sandals that encaged the feet, ripped-up sweaters and layers of chains around their necks and wrists.
Like so many punks, Yamamoto also expressed himself with music — although not of the Sex Pistols variety.
While the show began with the blues, it got progressively sweeter with Yamamoto himself singing duets and covers of vintage hits including "Endless Love," "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and "Don't Look Back in Anger."
He's always wanted to be a musician and believes that "we need love songs," and healing tunes, too. "If you look back in anger, your heart will be broken," said the designer, who telegraphed his message loud and clear.
Launch Gallery: Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme Men's Spring 2026 Ready-to-Wear Collection
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