Yohji Yamamoto’s love story

The king of black, the creator of anti-fashion, the great rebel – what kind of titles did Yohji Yamamoto not receive in his 32 years of career. In 1981, the Paris show of a young Japanese made a splash. After him, black, asymmetry, layering, baggy fabrics and raw seams came into fashion for a long time. Discouraged critics called Yamamoto’s first collections nothing more than “the clothes of the poor and the homeless.” And such a comparison is easy to explain: it was simply impossible to find a more exact match in the history of Western fashion. But it was precisely by his dissimilarity to anyone that Yohji Yamamoto won the hearts of the inhabitants of the Western world. Today, Yohji Yamamoto brand items and accessories are worn with pleasure by people of creative professions, for example, Elton John, David Bowie, Irina Khakamada … For the creation of costumes for his films, Akira Kurosawa turns exclusively to his famous compatriot. But, despite the great success in the fashion world, Yamamoto himself always calls himself the creator of anti-fashion. And he doesn’t lie. “Every time they expect another trendy novelty from me, and I do not give up hope to create something that will remain forever,” he says. – That’s why I got the idea to make a perfume dedicated to love. After all, this feeling has existed and will exist at all times.

spiritual quest

Yohji Yamamoto turned to two famous perfumers, Olivier Pescheux and Vincent Schaller, for help. “Please make a fragrance for a designer who doesn’t like fragrances,” that’s how our conversation started,” Pescho recalls with a laugh. However, in the 1990s, he had already worked for Yamamoto, so the extravagant request did not surprise him at all. After several meetings, the concept of fragrances was determined. It was decided that Olivier Pechot would do the women’s perfume (Her Love Story) and Vincent Schaller the men’s (His Love Story).

The power of femininity

With Her Love Story, Olivier Peschot “sought to convey all the passion of a woman in love.” The composition is subtle and very delicate. As if the perfumer created it, remembering his first love. Lemon and bergamot convey the freshness of feeling and the brightness of the colors in which it paints the world around. Jasmine complements the note of rose in the heart of the composition. It is considered the most sensual among flowers (this is due to indole – the most carnal note of plant odors). The patchouli and musk in the drydown accentuate and intensify the scent of leather, talking about the corporeal side of love.

Male look

Vincent Schaller approached the creation of the men’s fragrance His Love Story with the same enthusiasm as his colleague. “I remembered how worried I myself was at the moment of the first declaration of love,” says the perfumer. “It always takes a lot of courage to do this. That’s how I wanted to create His Love Story – daring.” For this, Schaller used traditionally masculine notes of lavender, violet leaves and geranium. Spicy spices at the beginning and a woody accord at the end of the composition are also designed to cheer up and add self-confidence.