The Italian National Team could soon be dressed by Yohji Yamamoto

There are rumours that adidas will once again collaborate with Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto and his Y-3 line for new football jerseys and collections in 2024. In contrast to the historic collaborations with Real Madrid, however, in this case it is not about club teams, but about the national associations that are sponsored by the Three Stripes and would receive a new outfit from the Japanese designer. These are Japan, Mexico, Germany and Spain and, of course, Italy, who made their debut with adidas this year.

Y-3 was born in 2003 from the partnership between adidas and Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto and quickly became a cult brand thanks to its ability to combine minimalism and performance. It is one of the first traces of the contemporary fusion of high fashion and sportswear, certainly following in the footsteps of Prada Linea Rossa in 1997, but also anticipating a series of dynamics that have emerged in recent years with the clear opening up of football to the fashion system.

What kind of stylistic intervention can we expect from Yohji Yamamoto on adidas uniforms? As reported in this article by Numéro, the Y3 collection envisioned by the designer and released this summer clearly recalls the design of Teamgeist, the historic template first seen during the 2006 World Cup, a date ingrained in Italy's collective memory. We can thus imagine that the Japanese creative will focus on an infallible aspect: nostalgia, a safe harbor especially for football brands and clubs.

Another aspect worth analyzing is the even greater attention that football federations want to direct toward the still vibrant and pulsating connection between fashion designers and football. Among these examples, we can mention the jersey of the Jamaican National Team, designed by Wales Bonner and even presented last year on the runway of the Paris Fashion Week - becoming the first jersey to be unveiled during a fashion show.

Yohji Yamamoto's collection would have a very different impact as it represents the most substantial move seen so far in the years that have linked fashion and football. For adidas, it would also be a surefire move, or at least that's what the German brand imagines. Y3's work in football is well-regarded by football enthusiasts. Over the years, it has given life to several notable projects, including the creation of Real Madrid's third jersey in the 2014/2015 season, which was sold to the public in a limited edition of 1400 units.

Even earlier, in 2006, adidas created the F50 Unit football boot, and it was Yohji Yamamoto who was selected as the designer to create a limited capsule collection, interpreting it with the use of iconography from the Land of the Rising Sun. In essence, adidas seems to understand how important and recognized the influence of the Japanese icon is: after years of experience in sportswear, Yohji will receive a project of the caliber he deserves. All that's left is to observe what he will be able to create and, above all, whether the project will remain true to the Teamgeist aesthetic, seeking a sort of comfort zone, or if the designer's perspectives are far more ambitious.