This season’s Y-3 presentation unfolded in the cavernous hall of the Palais Brongniart; we were warned that it would last around 30 minutes. There was no traditional runway show, but an emotionally charged interpretive dance in multiple acts “that sought to deepen audience connection,” courtesy of the Kianí Del Valle (KDV) performance group.
The first act began with 10 dancers all clad in black, who writhed, gestured and contorted their faces. More joined the fray, eventually culminating in a group of around 40 who stormed, slid and shrieked across the space. At times the dancers merged to become a single roiling mass of arms and legs, at others breaking away from one another to stagger, sprint and collapse on the floor. The center was a sandpit filled with black sand, grabbed in fistfuls or kicked into the air as white clouds of smoke descended from above. There were four acts of dancers in total, dressed in the collection, plus a five-piece capsule of pinstriped sports jerseys that were emblazoned with the names of Zinedine Zidane, Jude Bellingham, Garrett Wilson, and Anthony Edwards (Adidas athletes who each have an association with the number 5).
There is precedent here that Y-3 is building on: Yohji Yamamoto worked with Pina Bausch in the ’90s, and this collection might have been read as a re-up for the next generation, bringing in the Adidas union that is now over 20 years strong. Many of the items in the collection were made from a new summer viscose that looked as light as a second skin on the flailing arms and legs, while others were dip-dyed so they appeared as though they were emerging from shadows. Best of all were the pinstriped pieces in the latter looks—an expert blend of the romantic artisanal formality of one side of the Y-3 coin with the instantly recognizable tri-striped sportiness of the other.
The performance, though rousing, wasn’t the most effective way to showcase the finer details of the clothes. What all of the jumping, falling and lurching certainly did show, though, was how brilliant they were for movement; it’s rare you get to see clothing tested to its limits like this at a fashion show. The accomplishment of the design is clearer in the lookbook images—these are consummately crafted jackets, dresses, shirts and pants that could be worn for chilling on the sofa, going to a rave or jumping out of a helicopter. Of course, they look good too.