Designer Yohei Ohno is known for his experimental and untraditional designs and unique choices of materials. His dressmaking process begins through the process of form-making. However, his designs don’t always find ultimate expression in garments; indeed, Ohno’s designs are not limited to, but rather transcend, apparel, and instead they draw inspiration from, for example, his fascination with the human body and with inorganic objects, from art, architecture and industrial design. “I don’t set out to create clothes from the beginning, if the form I’ve developed seems better suited for accessories or other product designs, I pursue that trajectory to its conclusion with honesty and conviction.”
Words by Asuka Kawanabe. Portrait by Bryan Tang.
Runway images from Spring Summer 2024 and Fall Winter 2024.
Born in Aichi Prefecture in central Japan, Ohno’s path into fashion was neither straightforward nor conventional. Moving to Tokyo at the age of 19 to study philosophy, he soon left his university, deciding instead to pursue his true calling at Bunka Fashion College and then Nottingham Trent University. In a society where dropping out of school is rare, Ohno’s determination to make fashion his life’s work was unwavering. “Having abandoned my university education, I was prepared to dedicate myself entirely to this career,” he reminisces. During his studies, Ohno found inspiration in Nicolas Ghesquière’s work for Balenciaga, which greatly influenced his own designs.
Despite a lack of industry know-how, Ohno launched his brand immediately after graduation as he felt himself ill-suited to a career in the corporate world. He credits the supportive Japanese fashion environment for his brand’s longevity. “I have been supported by the Japanese fashion industry, but I believe it will become increasingly challenging for small brands like ours to thrive within a system dominated by European luxury brands. In this context, I feel that it is necessary for me to operate independently, as an ‘outsider’.”
A decade into his brand’s journey, Ohno’s design philosophy has undergone a profound transformation. For his Spring Summer 2024 collection, Ohno delved deep into his own past, in order to draw from his own childhood experiences and family memories rather than looking to external influences. The result is a collection that pays homage to the “never-fashionable sports style” of rural Japan, reinterpreted through Ohno’s inimitable lens. “Emotional elements have rarely found their way into my collections, but this time, I wanted to push beyond my usual boundaries, while it may not be a commercially successful collection, I believe I will look back on it as a moment of special significance in my career.”
The Spring Summer 2024 collection is a daring showcase of Ohno’s creativity and features sculptural dresses adorned with rugby balls and ensembles inspired, for example, by “the Tesla of human dreams”, and “the car of my father as personal memory.” While these unconventional designs have prompted some to label the collection as ‘avant-garde,’ this is a term that Ohno himself seems hesitant to embrace.
In a departure from the bold aesthetic of Spring Summer 2024, Ohno’s Autumn Winter 2024 collection adopts a more orthodox approach while still drawing on the theme of childhood. He notes, “This collection is a distilled expression of our brand’s essence, without any superfluous embellishments.” As YOHEI OHNO continues to evolve, the designer is keen to explore new branding strategies. “Our tenth anniversary presents an opportunity to reconsider our approach to branding.”
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