The Day Yohji Yamamoto Went Surfing
"I was under a preconception that surfers were like punk wannabes preoccupied with being cool or bad and the whole point of it was like doing tricks."
Yohji Yamamoto
About fifteen years ago, Takuji Masuda met fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto while working on a project in Japan. Tak is one of surfing’s great ambassadors, turning people onto the sport of kings is one of his biggest joys. Yohji is a masterful and avant-garde tailor, the founder the labels Yohji Yamamoto and Y3. Tak brought Yohji to a spot near Kamakura, a beginner-friendly wave just outside of Tokyo. He pushed him into the knee-high rollers. “It was like undressing the dresser,” laughs Tak.
Later, Tak asked Yohji for his take on the session. Here’s what he said: “I really think you have to stick to your attitude towards what you are doing. I say this because for non-surfers there is a sort of high fence to enter that culture.
Very uninviting image. Oh, I had this image of surfing before I went. But after going to the beach with you and your friends the other day, my image for surfing completely changed. I was under a preconception that surfers were like punk wannabes preoccupied with being cool or bad and the whole point of it was like doing tricks. However, you were like, ‘No, it’s not like that.’ The most impressive thing for me that day was to find that you people were intensely focused on playing with the sea, having a blast. It was like seeing men being childish in a very good way. And if it’s like that, I can really get into it.”
Photographer Taisuke Yokoyama was on hand to shoot pics. Below are a few.
