Written by Menswear Style in New Collections on the 22nd January 2018

Y-3, the sportswear label created by adidas and Yohji Yamamoto, introduces the A/W 2018 'Nice To Meet You’ collection, a nod to the ongoing collaborative nature of the brand since its inception. There is an emphasis on both craftsmanship and innovation - long-held qualities of both the German sportswear icon and the renowned Japanese designer.

Presented at Grand Palais on January 21st, the Autumn/Winter 2018 runway collection represents not only a return to the roots of Y-3, but a refinement and celebration of its key characteristics: simplicity, proportion, heritage, and the three stripes. The goal: distilling the best of Yamamoto and adidas in daringly simple apparel, footwear, and accessories.

The collection rides a tension between tradition and progression, pairing Japanese craftsmanship, such as Sashiko embroidery, with the cutting edge innovation of CARBON 4D and BOOST. The Sashiko stitching conjures a crucial human element—suggesting the hand of a couturier - and has been incorporated within the stacked logo motif that appears throughout the range. When it comes to apparel, XXL is the new medium. Outerwear proportions are blown up to extremes and worn with body-conscious separates to create an intriguing contrast of covered and uncovered. This pairs with an innovative inside-out fabric concept: innerwear materials used as outerwear and vice versa. Many styles are reversible.

Graphic codes subtly nod to Y-3's story. The print of the season - a camouflage floral - represents both the grit of the street and the poetry of Yamamoto's avant-garde approach. Meanwhile, bold slogans, such as 'Y Don't You Call Adidas’ and 'Nice To Meet You’, tell the tale of collaboration and mutual respect from which Y-3 was born. Y-3 relentlessly innovates with its footwear offering, giving a taste of the future with SPEEDFACTORY and CARBON 4D, as well as debuting several new styles. Directly inspired by the adidas archive, the pioneering Kaiwa melds a minimalist design philosophy with contrasting midsole accents for a bold, 3-D effect - shown on the runway both as a lo-top trainer and knee-high sneaker-boot.

The sleek, sock-like, sport-driven Ekikacombines smooth neoprene mesh uppers with suede accents and stitched details, recalling the collection's handcraft motif. The Bynder transforms an iconic adidas style in the season's aesthetic, featuring a leather upper with intentional, hand-stitched elements. Finally, Y-3 and James Harden unveil the unexpected BYW BBall, which delivers a distinctive basketball silhouette. This style infuses innovative tech material within its archive-inspired BOOST outsole, which creates a sense of intuitive motion that acts as a natural extension of the wearer's every step.

Presented at the Grand Palais, Yohji Yamamoto's Y-3 brand showcased its Autumn/Winter 2018 collection titled 'Nice to Meet You'.