Yohji Yamamoto, 'My Dear Bomb'.

I have recently read Yohji Yamamoto's autobiography, 'My Dear Bomb'. It's a really good book to read for anyone in any creative field, not just fashion. It isn't written in a wholly linea way, it starts with a very brief summary of his childhood and his reason for entering the fashion industry - his father died in WWII and he wanted to help his mother run her clothing business.

Rather than talk through each collection one by one, he instead describes his philosophy on design, and the method behind his iconic style. For example, each button and each pocket on a garment is given particular thought. He believes pockets are key to a garment, and that they should be entirely for function and not design.

"Pockets are boldly practical. I have some heavy-duty wear that has thirteen pockets, and I have been wearing it for years. There is simply nothing that beats it in terms of practicality. One can live in clothes like this."

Throughout the book you get the sense that Yohji really doesn't care for 99% of the people surrounding the fashion industry (a view shared by me). He isn't interested in people out to be noticed, or who follow current trends. He goes on to describe how he makes clothes for 'real people', and wants the garments he makes to be used as an aide to people's lives.

"I am not particularly fond of Milan or New York. The approach to clothing in these cities is different [to mine]. People there believe that clothing that sells is good clothing, and they believe the job to be a matter of chasing the latest fads. Success under this paradigm means one is also expected to demonstrate it in the established patterns. In Milan, for example, that means buying a castle in the country and owning a private jet."

I found this book very inspirational, both for Yohji's tips on how to make the perfect neck-line, and also for his dedication to his work, regardless of what is going on around him.