In the early 2000s, Yohji Yamamoto as a Takeshi Kitano fan ended up becoming one of the director’s close collaborators.
You could say it started earlier. Back in the ’80s, Yamamoto was already designing all-black looks that clearly echoed Kitano’s tough-guy characters. But their real collaboration began with Brother, where Yamamoto dressed the gangsters. It was Kitano’s first film shot outside Japan.
After that, Yamamoto worked on a few more Yakuza films. But overall, he stepped away from costume design and hasn’t really returned to it in over a decade. In his 2010 memoir My Dear Bomb, he explained why. He admitted he has doubts about fashion designers working in film – it’s hard to know where to draw the line. He even said his favorite Kitano films are the ones he didn’t work on.
Now Yohji Yamamoto Pour Homme is revisiting that era with its Spring/Summer 2026 capsule. Not as replicas, more like a reinterpretation.
In the film, the main character (also named Yamamoto and played by Kitano) arrives in late-’90s Los Angeles wearing dark navy suits with strong shoulders and a loose fit, paired with open-collar shirts. By the end, his whole crew is dressed the same way.
That look shapes the new collection. Flowing black suits, printed lapels pulled straight from Brother. Open-collar shirts with bold flowers – and even snakes – plus statement ties to match.
The jewelry is back too: chunky necklaces, rings, and bracelets. Back then, Yamamoto took cues from Chrome Hearts’ biker style, and you can still feel that influence here. Those same pieces also inspired the later GOTHIC YOHJI YAMAMOTO line.
Released on March 25, the collection brings attention to a lesser-known chapter of Yamamoto’s career. And it actually pushes things further – the suits echo Brother, but the overall styling feels more detailed and more expressive than anything seen in the film.
