Seasonal imagery for Spring / Summer 1982. Photographed by Keiichi Tahara, modeled by French painter Gérard Garouste.
A fine art photographer known for his study of light, Keiichi Tahara had been living in Paris for close to a decade at this time — perhaps making him the perfect fit to capture the essence of Yohji's work in a European context.
These images focus less on the clothes and instead reflect an inner state of being — which consequently communicates much more about the clothes than any overt depiction could.
The catalogues were captioned with very simple product descriptions — "Impermeable en Coton Huile" (Raincoat in waxed / waterproof cotton), or "Chemise blanche et Pantalon en Coton" (White shirt and Cotton Trousers).
The distinction between the Y's for men and Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme lines during this era are a little hazy — the Y's lines had to adopt the Yohji Yamamoto name for the international market to avoid copyright infringement on the house of YSL. Marked with both the Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme and Y's for men logos, these catalogues may have used items from both lines, and / or included Y's for men items created exclusively for the international market. The distinction would be made clearer in 1984 with the official Paris runway debut of Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme.
