Y-3 launches Atelier Line with Paris pop-up and exhibition – WWD

THREE STRIPS IN: Two decades ago, Adidas and Yohji Yamamoto came together for Y-3, which reimagined sportswear through the Japanese designer’s lens.

Now they’re coming full circle with the launch of Y-3 Atelier, a line that translates the patterns of Yamamoto’s runway pieces into items that are closer than ever to his eponymous brand.

The line is said to draw on “monozukuri” (or “making things” in Japanese) and a craft-oriented creative approach to channel the Japanese designer’s “production approach, which is driven by skill and unabashed dedication,” the sportswear company explained.

Each piece is embellished with a custom three-stripe detail in a nod to Adidas branding.

“The [Adidas] Three stripes are so charming and so strong at the same time. In black with three white stripes it is very strong. I loved it,” Yamamoto said in a statement announcing the new line.

Garments from the Y-3 Atelier line start at €1,100 for a men’s cropped jacket and €1,500 for a trench coat, up to €2,500 for a parachute dress and €3,600 for the most elaborate piece, a men’s training top.

Launching exclusively in Paris with a three-day pop-up in collaboration with e-tailer Ssense, the Atelier line will fall into a seasonal rhythm starting next season.

In addition to the 10-piece inaugural collection, the Ssense pop-up will also feature an exhibition of photography by Daidō Moriyama.

Commissioned by AnOther Magazine, Japanese photographer Y-3 captured studio looks of Narukiyo Izakaya, a hard-to-find eatery with a cult following in Tokyo’s Shibuya district, in dark black and white.

The images aim to reflect Yamamoto and Moriyama’s shared values, which are described as “a quasi-obsessive loyalty to monochromatic color palettes, a desire to find magic in the everyday, and an unflagging commitment to breaking all rules.”

The Ssense pop-up is open from 11am to 7pm at 42 rue de Sevigné in Paris’ lively Marais district.