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There must be a Scotsman or at least an original punk hidden in Yohji, because when Mr Yamamoto touches tartan, check turns to gold. It was an early realisation this year when his eponymous men’s show in Paris presented the master’s take on tartan in an amazing concoction of ginger beards, kilts and roaring bagpipes. And at his Y-3 show Sunday evening in New York, Yohji took his highland fling to a different level. It was a fast and furious take on the idea, with futuristic inputs such as sci-fi trainers and PVC contrasting the heritage elements, and with a sportier, intrinsically urban approach to the Scottish factor, which didn’t shy away from a subtle punk reference, for instance in a ‘half’ kilt or a tight, tight check trouser. In merging two of AW13’s key themes, heritage and cyber, with the sportswear foundation of adidas, Yohji reached a result that managed to inject an element of surprise into said themes. It was techno tartan, really.
Text: Anders Christian Madsen
Photography: Mitchell Sams
