After its debut last week at Paris Fashion Week, the Y-3 Noci sneaker is now available at Nordstrom. Usually, you can’t buy products fresh off the runway from Fashion Week. But sometimes you can, and now is one of those times.
Y-3, of course, is the partnership between legendary designer Yohji Yamamoto (hence the Y) and adidas (hence the 3, for three stripes). The brand has been envisioning the future of sports fashion for 13 years now.
We spoke with Y-3 senior design director Lawrence Midwood about sci-fi aesthetics, what it’s like working with Yamamoto, and the inspiration behind the Noci–a bruiser of a sneaker.
SHOP: Y-3 Noci sneaker | all Y-3
Did a team of people work on this shoe, or a few key individuals? How was this project different from what you normally do?
Every shoe we release relies on teams of people both here at adidas in Germany, and also with Yohji and his team in Japan. This release was different because we decided to supply the shoe on its launch day during Paris Fashion Week: 3,000 pairs across the world to over 100 retailers, six months quicker than our normal timelines. It was quite a challenge. Designing, developing, prototype testing and then manufacturing a shoe in those numbers, in such a short window, didn’t result in less people working on the project, however. It resulted in everyone looking at their part of the process and reducing their normal lead time in half. That’s a challenge and requires great teamwork and focus.
What was the design inspiration for this shoe? Was it based on other footwear? An animal? A building?
From the beginning, we wanted to bring a new aesthetic to this shoe. We felt it was time for something different with a bold and perhaps polarizing visual identity. This season we were inspired by science fiction for the main Y-3 line. The shoe itself was based on a fictional need for a space-trekking boot. Something that could deal with any terrain, terrestrial or not, and also offer long periods of comfort and stability. That inspired the look and build of the shoe. We liked the notion that the shoe was built and modified over time rather than designed. We wanted the feeling that different elements from different products and functions were used to assemble the shoe.
What’s exciting about men’s footwear in general in 2016?
The sneaker as a fashionable expression of individuality and style has never been more prominent. So it’s a great time to be pushing the boundaries. At Y-3 we are very fortunate to have that remit from adidas as a brand but also to have Yohji’s vision and renegade approach. He pushes us constantly as a team to push forward, to surprise people and continue to rebel against the norm.
What is Yohji Yamamoto’s involvement in Y-3 today? Does he approve everything?
Yohji is Y-3. From beginning to end, from initial ideas down to the details, and of course our fashion show in Paris. He is instrumental in everything we create as a team. In fact, usually he is the one pushing us the hardest to not stand still. Very often he is the most vocal person in the label about challenging our established way or thought processes. He has been creating the future for decades–but please don’t think that means that he is slowing down. At least he doesn’t let us relax for a minute.
–Andrew Matson
via Nordstrom Fashion Blog http://ift.tt/295l5T5
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment