Asymmetry draws attention to the eye as out of place and unique.
When juxtaposed against symmetrical settings, the absence of obvious logical relations can be a jewel on display. Y-3's usage of asymmetry reminded me of melismas placed on weak syllables in the Gregorian Chants
of the 9th century. At the time, it was bold and cutting edge to off-set rich ornamentation on an the unstressed syllable. If it weren't for these bold and daring ideas we would not have music as we know it to be today, and we'd perhaps still be wearing gothic brown sack-cloth...

The presence of Yohji Yamamoto and Adidas as equal partners was quite apparent in the Y-3 Spring 2013 collection as men and women jaunted
their eponymous tennis shoes and sport-infused sportswear down the runway.
Y-3 emphasized asymmetrical, unequalled movement, street style, and clear brand trademarks, yet all the while keeping Yamamoto's sartorial signature in full view. As the show progressed, the small hints of misplaced Adidas stripes grew into obtrusive obvious striping down one side of the models body or wrapped around one arm, fusing elements of high-end design
and tailoring with elements of functional athletic gear such as sweatbands
and knee-socks. The troupe of models' almost uniformed look gave
one the impression they were from a highly sophisticated school that idealistically places equal emphasis on classic and aristocratic sports, traditional and modern design, and a thoroughly progressive society.

Yohji Yamamoto took an equestrian classic look and gave it a sporty spin full of diagonal line. He combined elements of structure and movement together with both silhouettes and fabrics such as meshes and sheer
jersey and crisp wovens, while quirky ruffles and partially striped pleats protruded from under modest tennis dresses. The result was a clean double-dose of sport and street. He also gave men's clothing a disarranged jagged edge as their striped suspenders sagged about their shorts.
A pervasive tropical print theme on both clothes and 3-D sculpture-video-projection was arguably in keeping with the school team influence -
the players clearly had spring break on the brain! If the theme
"walking backward into the future" was at all prophetic ... who knows, we may have just seen a preview of a new official Olympic Team off-court sportswear of 2016.

- Emma Sutton, contributor

- Images by Arthur Moeller / ZEDUCE