Crossroads in Life

When you think of Yohji Yamamoto, he’s one of the legends of Japan’s fashion industry, and also known for having many admirers among architects. It’s the kind of company where even graduating top of your class from a fashion school doesn’t guarantee you’ll get in. So if a poor architecture student gets personally recommended there by a famous architect professor, there’s no way the people around wouldn’t react — especially the upper- and underclassmen, since it wasn’t their own life on the line.
　

“If it’s Yohji Yamamoto, you’ve got no choice! Ask the professor right now!”

To be honest, the moment that "that name" came up, I wanted to say "please" right away. However, even though it was my own life, when I looked back on how I had taken a year off to get into university and had been looked after by my parents, I thought that I really needed to get my parents' permission.

 “Professor, please give me just a few days. I’ll get back to you right away.”

That night, instead of going to my lodgings,I got on a train headed for my family home — of course, to get my parents’ consent. Rocked by the train for about an hour, my mind swinging between excitement, anticipation, anxiety, and nervousness, I finally arrived at my parents’ house for the first time in a while.

It must have been a little past eleven when I got home. My mother was washing the dinner dishes. I sat at the dining table, wasting time trying to gauge the right moment to bring it up, and then, steeling myself, I began.

　
“Today, at the design wrap-up, the professor asked me, ‘Do you want to pursue fashion or architecture?’ and I said, ‘I’m not sure.’ Then he told me, ‘If you’re serious about going into fashion, I’ll introduce you to a designer.’ And the name he mentioned was a super-famous brand — the kind where even top graduates from fashion school might not get in — so I think I want to go down that path.”

　
“What’s it called?”

　
“Yohji Yamamoto.”

　
“…Never heard of it. But it’s your life — if you want to do it, you should.”

　
“…Huh? You’re okay with me not going into architecture?”

　
“ You’re an architecture student, yet you went and bought an expensive sewing machine, stayed up every night sewing clothes… There’s no way I wouldn’t notice you love fashion more than architecture!”

　
Later, when my father came down to the table, he listened to the whole story but didn’t object at all. He simply said, “You only get one life. If you’re going to do it, go all in. Don’t think about going back to architecture.”

Via Threads

*The top image is an image created using an AI tool.