Yohji Yamamoto doesn't usually attend the Y-3 show. But this season, as his collaboration with Adidas celebrated its tenth anniversary, he saw fit to make an appearance. Backstage after the show, Yamamoto said, pithily, that he wanted to mark the occasion by creating a collection that was "elegant." And to be sure, plenty of looks on the Y-3 runway today straightforwardly drove that point home: There was suave soft suiting for both men and women, and little white ensembles that summoned the refinement of the cricket ground.But in general, this collection seemed to be meditating on the elegance potential of activewear, broadly, and the aesthetic possibilities of the iconic Adidas three-stripe logo in particular. In other words, it was a collection that celebrated the nature of the Yamamoto/Adidas collaboration itself. All manner of sporting gear was encompassed here—anoraks, tracksuits, sweats, soccer shorts, leggings. The digitally printed mesh parkas and anoraks were especially striking, but there were lots of strong looks in that mix.
The most interesting pieces this season were the ones riffing on the Adidas stripe. Yamamoto elaborated the signature, placing three white stripes on the bicep of a softly draped beige suit, making a graphic pattern of black and white stripes on T-shirts and tanks, and, in one inspired look, re-creating the Adidas insignia by trimming the three-tiered ruffles on an asymmetric black dress in white. Brands like Adidas don't typically like it when people play fast and loose with their logos this way, but after ten years at Y-3, Yamamoto has earned the right. Yohji Yamamoto keeps the impressive and unique silhouettes coming with the new adidas Y-3 NOCI Low. The latest model added to the already stocked stable of Y-3 designs features Yohji&#... Boost cushioning + a Yohji Yamamoto design + a “Triple White” colorway is no doubt a formula for success, and indeed that’s exactly what we have here with the latest ... It looks like there will be no shortage of impressive and intriguing new footwear models for the adidas Y-3 line later this year, as the label’s recent runway show offered a prev...
.00BUY IT NOW6hr 38mins.00BUY IT NOW9hr 9mins.00BUY IT NOW20hr 54mins.001 bids8hr 30mins A more traditional silhouette but still very unique in the way only Yohji Yamamoto can design a shoe, the adidas Y-3 line introduces a new high-top sneaker called the ATTA. It looks like there’s another new model to pay attention to in the adidas Y-3 line this winter, especially if you’re an Ultra Boost fan. Introducing the Kozoko, a new model... One of the hottest adidas Y-3 models on the market, the Yohji Run, is ready to drop this spring in two of its cleanest looks yet: all-white with hits of black or a flipped version in b... The adidas Y-3 line expands their stylishly futuristic sneaker line further with the introduction of the appropriately and simply named Future Low. Looking like something you’d s... adidas Y-3 is always cooking up some truly special lifestyle designs, but now Yohji Yamamoto’s imprint has the added benefit of utilizing some of the three stripe’s most s...
The adidas Y-3 line adds another stand-out model to the collection this fall, the X-Ray Zip Low. Built atop the full-length Boost cushioned tooling of the Ultra Boost, the upper featur... Yohji Yamamoto adds his distinct creative touch to one of the most iconic adidas models ever for his zippered version of the Superstar. The Super Zip, as it’s called, features no... Seeming to draw inspiration from just about everywhere, Yohji Yamamoto’s latest creation for his adidas Y-3 line turns to the classic boxing shoe. Re-imagined as a low-top silhou... This latest colorway of the adidas Y-3 Qasa QR keeps things clean and simple in black and white for the perfect everyday sneaker for fans of the Yohji Yamamoto line. And as with any Y-... Released back in March, the adidas Pure Boost ZG was yet another stylish and ultra-comfortable crossover performance/casual sneaker option from the Three Stripes to hit the market in 2...Read More adidas Y-3 has been quietly bolstering its footwear lineup with a number of the three stripe’s latest technological endeavors from Primeknit additions to full-length Boost outso...
Yohji Yamamoto’s adidas Y-3 line always created inspiring designs that are somehow both minimalist and futuristic all at once. The Y-3 imprint has played a major part in the thr...Y-3 has always been known for creating progressive silhouettes and for merging function and fashion. The Qasa is definitely one of the more interesting silhouettes of the last few seasons. Upon its unveiling, it quickly became a so-called goth ninja approved shoe… almost like a new option beyond just Rick Owens Dunks. Furthermore it has also drawn some comparisons to the ever-popular Roshe Run from Nike for a similar shape and silhouette. In this first Sneaker Lab, we take a more stylized approach to reviewing the original Qasa. First and foremost, this is exactly the kind of style and design I would expect from the ongoing collaboration between adidas and Yohji Yamamoto. Recalling some other Y-3 styles, I remember seeing mainly upper designs mounted onto existing toolings/outsoles from other categories (Originals, Training, etc.) or from other signature styles.
And even when a new tooling/outsole were created, the differences were so minor that hardly anyone could tell. But by spending so much money on a high-end Y-3 product, one would assume you expect not only quality materials but also some minimalistic uniqueness, which the Qasa definitely offers. These bad boys are simple and clean, but have a lot of nice details and unique design elements. I guess that’s also the reason why the Qasa has gotten so much more attention than any other recent style from this category that come to mind. This is definitely one of those sneakers that looks much (much MUCH) better on the foot than on the shelf, particularly the smaller sizes: they sometimes look pretty weird because the thickness of the midsole makes the shoe looks disproportional, especially with the low-cut versions. The tooling/outsole reminds me of something like a hovercraft and doesn’t exactly look too comfortable at first. But just as with the look, they’re amazing once they’re on the foot and are super comfortable.
The flexzones in the forefoot are on point and provide proper fit. With the high lacing and the small number of eyelets, the vamp might look a bit too long. But if we look at the vertical overlay, we see that the leather on the lower part, the neoprene straps on the mid part, and the thicker outdoor-inspired laces balance out the long vamp. I think using the heel counter as a foundation on the Qasa is a pretty smart move on adidas’s part. Looking at the history of the ZX family or the newly introduced ZX Flux, you will see some familiar design DNA that adidas needs to learn to repeat and claim visual ownership of. While the mid-cut is made mainly out of synthetics and the low version – a full leather version – I can say that the quality on both is great and the value-for-money is definitely there. The leather on the low version is close to the visvim FBT from several years ago and used on the base of their backpacks. For me personally, the grain texture is a bit too much because that’s what synthetic leather tries to duplicate visually so people perceive it as real leather.
The front piece in the forefoot printed with Yohji Yamamoto on it came off after wearing them several times. I would have used a more resilient printing method or even do a deboss with printing to make sure it stays longer. The FOB (Freight On Board) or the general costing of a shoe is always an interesting topic. You’re never really certain unless you’re closely tied to the development of the shoe. In addition, one also doesn’t know the amortization of the tooling. Basically what it entails is that when you create new toolings, generally it costs several thousand dollars and upwards for one size, meaning whole size runs are extremely expensive — as is the case with the Qasa, you aim to bake in the costs of the tooling in the overall price of production. So when calculating, it’s not only materials and labor, but also the cost of the tooling. The shorter period of amortization, the more expensive the FOB. After gathering a few different opinions, I would speculate the FOB to be around $30-$40 USD (for Y-3 Qasa Low).
A lot of people hit me up and asked if I feel there are any similarities to the Nike Roshe Run. My answer is a definitive “no.” Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the Roshe Run, it’s a clean outsole with a simple derby upper that is being offered for a specific consumer with a certain budget. But the Qasa is more for someone who appreciates hidden and unique details that are explored through using the product. Also coming back to what I said in the beginning, this is an extraordinary silhouette I’d expect from Y-3. Frankly, I don’t know if we would/could have accepted such a silhouette earlier in the game, but the sneaker game has changed a lot lately, and peeps are now more “open” to new styles and silhouettes. In the past, PUMA was trying special things with Hussein Chalayan or even Mihara Yasuhiro earlier on and somehow didn’t get a positive response. If there is a perfect timing, it would be now. Andy Chiu has been an avid sneaker collector since 1991.