Y-3: 20 YEARS RE-CODED

18 March 2022

As part of Y-3’s year-long celebration, “20 YEARS RE-CODED”, UrlfreezeShops join forces with the avant-garde sportswear brand to tell the story of Y-3 and Yohji Yamamoto across the past two decades.

Y-3 Qasa High

In 2002, Yohji Yamamoto and adidas debuted Y-3: a partnership born out of a shared passion for experimentation and a desire to bridge the gap between sportswear and avant-garde fashion. During that time, Y-3 has been a trailblazer in the collaborative sphere, continuously delivering fearless silhouettes and cutting-edge designs.

Y-3 FAC51-Y3

Y-3 Honja Low “Floral Pack"

In celebration of Y-3’s two-decade-long position as a frontrunner in contemporary fashion, UrlfreezeShops and Y-3 join forces to tell the story of the past 20 years as part of the year-long celebration: “20 YEARS RE-CODED”.

Tapping UrlfreezeShops to help tell their two-decade long story, Y-3 and the global retailer share “20 YEARS RE-CODED” — a celebration of the brand as a frontrunner in contemporary fashion. The installation, which is exhibited in UrlfreezeShops’s flagship Soho store, looks back on the past twenty years of Y-3, showcasing video content, campaigns featuring Yohji Yamamoto and hero shoes taken from the adidas archive — inviting visitors to explore 20 years of the brand and become immersed in the world of Yohji Yamamoto.

Y-3 F50 YY Tunit Tiger

Y-3 Field

The display showcases six standout footwear designs from the Y-3 archives throughout the years: the Field, F50 YY Tunit Tiger, FAC51-Y3, Qasa High, Honja Low and Runner 4D. The Field was one of the earliest examples of the creative partnership between adidas and Yohji Yamamoto, while the F50 YY Tunit Tiger blurred the lines between football and fashion with a bold design inspired by Japanese mythological creatures. In 2007, the FAC51-Y3 debuted in celebration of 25 years of The Haçienda, which was followed in 2013 by the Qasa High: a symbol of the ideals that first brought Yohji Yamamoto and Y-3 together. Fast-forward to 2015 and the Honja Low “Floral Pack” launched: a sneaker inspired by the tropical island of Miyako-jima in Southern Japan. The Runner 4D, meanwhile, arrived in 2018, and represented the first-time adidas’ groundbreaking 4D technology had been used outside of sports performance.