Category: Y

Kajitani (1977). Japanese designer of women’s clothing and accessories. She started studying fashion in Japan and then graduated from Studio Berµot in Paris in 1998. After an internship with Eric Halley, she also worked on her own Collection that was sold at the concept store Colette from 2000. She creates jewelry and clothes that are sold in the Parisian boutique Maria Luisa.

Gaspard (1972). French designer. First noticed in 1998 at the 12^th Hyéres festival on the CÂte d’Azur, an event that showcases young designers and graduates from fashion schools. Immersed in pop culture, his first Collection was very visual and typically urban. It was graphic, asymmetric, sculptured, and played with contrasting materials to create glamour and humour.
&Quad;1999. First show during Paris ready-to-wear fashion week. Yurkievich increased the impact of his clothes with a limited edition CD called Yurkievich by Herbert. The disc contained sounds recorded backstage during the show, from the screeching of clothes hangers being pulled along the rail, to the clicking of heels on the floor. Critics have likened him to Jeremy Scott and Jérome Dreyfuss for his aggressive and sexy style.
&Quad;Yurkievich did not neglect his outrageous side in his Spring-Summer 2002 show in Paris, when he sent girls from the Crazy Horse down the runway in the uniforms of the guards at Buckingham Palace, wearing corsets and bare-breasted. The ironic musical accompaniment was a track called God Save our Bearskins.

Paul (1948). French sociologist. He has made many studies of fashion, its messages, and the language of clothes, also investigating the phenomenon triggered by ready-to-wear clothes, jeans, and the influence of youth styles on adult dress. He published Jeux, Modes et Masses in 1985.

Kansai (1944). Japanese designer. After a degree at Nippon University, he worked for Junko Koshino. In 1971 he showed his first Collection in London and in 1974 in Paris, where he was praised for his innovation. Before closing his business, he was involved in various big art and fashion projects.

Leading multinational zip manufacturer. Founded by the Japanese Tadao Yoshida in the 1930s, they produce over 2 million kilometers of zips a year, and sell them in 62 countries. As well as a colossal fortune, Yoshida left his heirs a business philosophy: prosperity depends on creating well-being for those around you. Hence, for example, great attention is paid to the working environment.

Valentin (1964). Russian designer. He opened his fashion house in Moscow in 1990 and a year later made his debut at the Paris haute couture week. At the end of 1998 he signed a distribution agreement with Vision, which allowed him to sell his creations in the international market. In 1999 he held his first show at Milano Collezioni Donna.
&Quad;Late 1999. His first women’s fragrance marked the launch of the cosmetics department of Valentin Yudashkin Trade Mark. The line is produced by the French “Parour Parfume” and is distributed in Russia and the rest of Europe.
&Quad;2001, March. Yudashkin presented a series of hand-painted porcelain at Moscow’s Central Concert Hall on the occasion of the runway show of his 19^th haute couture Collection. The range was the result of a joint venture with Lucas International, a jewelry company with twenty-five years of experience.
&Quad;2001, September. A line of underwear was launched.
&Quad;2003. The Pakerson company signed an agreement for the manufacture and sale of “Pakerson by Valentin Yudashkin”, a line of men’s and women’s hosiery presented at Micam in Milan at the end of March 2003.

French name for the youth movement and its fashions in the 1960s. The Beatles, the undisputed leaders in the field of music, dominated the youth culture of that decade, with their haircuts and dress being widely imitated. In France, their chorus “Yeah Yeah Yeah” was abbreviated to yé-yé, and chosen to sum up the dress styles of that period. During the 1960s, the mass media had a fundamental role in the explosion of mass consumption, and to that end, used fashion as a marketing tool to continually direct and modify public taste, so as to always create new demands. Televisions and cars became more common. Clothing stores aimed at young people had great success, as they offered the young the opportunity to dress themselves. Chains with low and medium cost goods also become more widespread. Fashion saw the triumph of brightly colored Optical Art prints, the miniskirt created by Mary Quant and the soft-colored creations of Barbara Hulanicki, known as Biba. The names André Courrèges and Paco Rabanne appeared. The world of haute couture went into decline and ready-to-wear gained a stronger hold. Even men’s clothing was invested with color. In 1969 the designer Rudy Geinrich stated: “Haute couture no longer holds the same meaning because money, status, and power no longer hold the same meaning. Now fashion starts in the street. I look at what the kids are wearing. I give shape to their style, I interpret it and add something of my own, and so it becomes fashion.”

Sisters and designers. Emel was born in Cairo (1977), Yaz in Istanbul (1973). They are the grand-nieces of King Farouk, Egypt’s last king. After living in different countries around the world, they moved to Paris. Yaz studied industrial and graphic design and, after internships at renowned houses such as Martin Margiela, Martin Sitbon, and Givenchy, she became the assistant of Jeremy Scott. In March 2000 the pair presented their first line of accessories together, followed by another in the fall of the same year. They worked with Gaspard Yurkievich for his ready-to-wear Fall-Winter 2002-2003 runway show in Paris.

(You Must Create) English young fashion label. Created in London in 1996 by Fraser Moss (1966) and Jimmy Collins (1967). Neither studied fashion, but they both have experience working in the business: Moss worked for French Connection and subsequently launched the label Komodo; Collins was an apprentice to Vivienne Westwood before opening his own shop, Professor Head. Together they have created a modern unisex line, designed to be easily assimilated into their customers’ wardrobes. The label’s name is taken from a phrase by the American industrial designer Raymond Loewy: “You must create your own style.” In 1999 they won the British Streetstyle Designers of the Year award.
&Quad;The brand opened a shop in London’s Conduit Street, but this closed shortly after to make way for Boutique B. Other outlets were opened in Regent Street and Cardiff, Wales.
&Quad;In 2000 they created the Mini Millennium Capsule Collection in collaboration with the artist Andy Jordan, who creates clothes by making holes in cloth and embroidering around them. Y.M.C contributed to the T-“shirt club organized by the rock band The Avalanches. The label produced a limited edition of 100 T-“shirts, designed with the Australian Natalie Wood. They are sold on the internet and the proceeds go towards the NSPCC, an association for the protection of children.

Women’s clothing label. Created in 1984 by the Milanese Nicoletta Leo. She first designed a Collection of jewelry, then a line of women’s fashion. The crux of her style is research into materials. The clothes from her first Collection for Fall-Winter 1999-2000 were all made from carbon fibers, PVC and glass-fiber.