Sports Luxe is a term
that, over the past ten years, has planted itself firmly within fashion's central vocabulary, and it's no coincidence that this year marks the 10th Birthday of Adidas’s Y-3; a brand that has
consistently played an essential role in the haute sport fashion revolution.
As Covent Garden’s Floral Street welcomes the label's 2nd
London branch (along with the arrival of a new collection) the brand continues
to push sportswear further into the fashion realm than ever before, infiltrating
the industry by incorporating cutting edge sports garment technology into the
fashion forward designs of creative mastermind, Yohji Yamamoto.
Yamamoto takes this idea of going beyond the functionality of sportswear even
further, creating a somewhat theatrical fashion-sports- fusion spectacle. And
this effect is not only seen in Yamamoto’s diverse designs, but in every aspect
of the Y-3 aesthetic, from their campaigns and their catwalks, to their in-store
merchandising; the new Covent Garden store, which is housed within a Grade II
listed building, features futuristic Erco developed tailored lighting and 360
view mirrored walls.
Y-3’s accomplished brand identity has not only achieved and
sustained a viable concept, but the brand still succeeds in remaining true to
itself and its urban ties as it continues to move forwards. The latest campaign
features an ingenious interactive fashion film that is controlled through a computer
keyboard; in a system that works in a similar way to that of an electronic midi
keyboard as used by music producers, it allows the viewer to ‘compose’ their
own version of the film. This is done using number and letter keys to rearrange
the the order and tempo of the visuals and soundtrack; almost as if the viewer
is remixing the collection. Which is
what, in theory, we as consumers actually do; we see a collection, we buy
pieces, we team them with other pieces, we give them alternative accompaniments.
It’s the same piece, but different, like a remix. It is precisely this kind of
creative mentality that keeps Y-3 at the forefront of fashion sportswear
innovation, and connects the fashion of today to the fashion of the future.
Y-3 is at 12 Floral
Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9DH and is open now.
Words and pictures by Amy Lee
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