Honoring 20 years of Y-3: Welcome to NAKED Copenhagen

“With my eyes turned to the past, I walk backward into the future” - Yohji Yamamoto

Back in the neolithic age of 2003, there was no such thing as athleisure. There was just fashion, high fashion, and sportswear, and these divisions were quite deeply defined. Enter legendary designer Yohji Yamamoto. An established titan of industry, the fabled designer was admittedly bored with the current fashion cycle and he was looking to do more.

Inspired by New York businessmen rushing to work in their expensive suits and a pair of sneakers, Yamamoto reached out to adidas with a pretty wild idea. But the German outfit was instantly receptive to the idea and from this came Y-3. A mashup of Yohji’s initials and adidas’ 3 stripes, Y-3 is a free-standing sub-label that would allow Yamamoto to express the breadth of his artistic talent with his unique interpretation of what adidas could be.

A collaboration of this magnitude had never been seen before and it drove a shockwave through the industry. The debut collection received instant critical acclaim as the new Y-3 logo was emblazoned upon blazers, oversized tracksuits, jumpsuits, and leather jackets. With every collection, there were more revolutionary looks and the Y-3 vision only got stronger. Y-3 collections aren’t just Yamamoto pieces, neither are they typical adidas pieces with Yamamoto branding. Y-3 exists with this incredible balance between the two, contrasting and conflating ideas in ways that truly had never been done before.

As Y-3 turns twenty, we are incredibly excited to have them join the NAKED Copenhagen Community with a stunning collection of footwear and apparel coming soon!