“From our point of view, a fashion designer is a creator of signs on the scale of life. From one season to the next, he builds up a complex and sophisticated language all of his own which enable him to articulate his proposals, his poetic, political or simply amusing messages.”
- the words of M/M Paris on the DNA of fashion through designer ideology and how we intrepret it all.
“The history of fashion for us therefore is something made up of a compression of all these signs, all these languages, which compose then decompose in the different aspects of creation.”
The importance of uniform in fashion cannot be underestimated – it’s a multi-layered concept that infiltrates on many facets. Think not only of the designers’ world, itself a repeating aesthetic and concept of codes – their ideology – but also the way everything is sold on the rails in store; coats, jackets, shirts and pants lined up on a gleaming metal bar. Wherever you may visit globally, it will adhere to the vision. The true beauty, and power, of uniform however is in its ability to mean something to everyone – it’s a universal language, alluringly repetitive and iconic.
In 1996, Michael Amzalag and Mathias Augustyniak instigated a project with renowned photographer McDean (Another Magazine, W, Vogue, Jil Sander, Calvin Klein) to turn their theories on fashion and uniform into a ‘collection’, a reference portfolio of men and women aligned to instantly indentifiable groupings.
We have UPS driver in his brown shirt, pen in pocket; the biker kitted out with full motocross armour, the jockey in resplendent silks, the fireman and a generation-X Hare Krishna, complete with hoodie and scuffed sneakers. Then there are the branches of military…
Of course, to the observer it’s the latter which is most identifiable within the world of Yamamoto. Think of his army jackets, long, wool naval coats and the tailoring which makes its wearer look quietly, progressively noble.
McDean, former assistant to Nick Knight (another name with Yamamoto lineage – that late 80’s silhouette in black with red, amongst other campaign material, burned into the consciousness of any avid fan) has produced a striking set of visual stereotypes, elevating these common dresscodes into moments of frozen beauty.
Article by Dean Mayo Davies.
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