YOMI

Interview by QP STAFF WRITER

Born in the summer of 2023, YOMI is a blazer-only label that plays homage to nostalgic tailored silhouettes with a decisive and sensual tone.

Founder Fanny Van de Wijngeart wanted to create a collection that reflected her early inspiration of the world she grew up in, to embody a new telling of this visual history: Full of amplified shoulder-lines, cropped and longline silhouettes, exaggerated collars and daring open-necks, all in a riot of enlivened colours and extravagant button jewel adornments. The season-less styles feel effortless elegant yet exceptional to wear.

pr agency: THE POP GROUP @thepop.group ould you walk us through the concept that sparked your debut collection of block-coloured blazers and jackets with distinctive buttons? What was the initial inspiration that got the creative process rolling?

YOMI has been born from a multitude of inspirations, to capture and retell a visual history from various eras, personas, feelings and lived experiences, capturing the essence of this and to give it a new sense of life.

A significant part of this inspiration I would also say comes from my childhood, those informative years where you find yourself enchanted and enveloped by key characters in your life that inevitably shape you by their very own creativity and independence. Their elegance, grace, intuition and natural poise I find infectious and fascinating and it is where I began my journey. That magnetic pull some women possess; the Divas. The collection in a lot of ways is a love note to these nostalgic feelings and to those inspirational women.

The concept and the world that sustained YOMI was inevitably (but not something I realised immediately nor initially) deeply connected to my own mother and grandmother's personality and style.

The gold touches (mainly the buttons) and the colours come from a shared love my grandmother and I have for extravagant adornments, “shiny vibrant sparkly things” - there are button designs that I have developed directly from her earring collection, which are such a joy to see reimagined on the blazers today. My grandmother is the wild side of it. The blazer’s strong structure is more my mother (literally and symbolically). Blazers are something that we definitely share as I have always worn them, even at a young age, and in turn, I have grown up seeing her wear them too. She gave me so many of her blazers when I was younger that the majority of my blazer wardrobe was made of hers. They were her uniform, her second skin. Buttons play a prominent role in your collection. Could you delve into your decision-making process when selecting these buttons and the significance they hold

within the overall designs?

The buttons hold a strong emotional narrative to me, being so closely tied to my grandmother's personal jewellery collection, which I have seen her wear and that I am wearing myself today, the shapes and designs of them hold a special sentiment to me. They are prominent in the collection for this reason but also they are a respectful nod as to how these women used to dress - where jewellery was so significant to feeling 'dressed,' these buttons take their place. They are a significant part to each blazer, forming the epicentre of the overall design, determining the cut, colour and mood of each piece so every blazer has its own character. Converting these earrings into buttons while keeping the same sense of wonderment and awe of those original pieces was a delicate and complex process.

For this first collection we worked with a Canadian-founded, Hong Kong-based, supplier with a long and established history of designing and creating artisanal jewellery pieces for independent brands in the most ethical and sustainable way. Their paralleled brand ethos coupled with an impressive design past meant they were able to understand the intimate history behind each piece and know how imperative it was to reach a certain level of detail and make each piece feel precious.

These buttons retain the history, they hold the heart of the brand. The small but powerful details saying “I am here, and I am with you”.

Fabric selection often shapes the overall feel of a collection. Can you elaborate on the fabrics you chose for your blazers and jackets? How do they contribute to the comfort and visual appeal of the pieces?

When I am choosing a fabric I am always thinking “soft”. I am looking for kisses on the skin. The challenge is for the collections to be sufficiently balanced between light and heavier fabric. YOMI wants to be a seasonless label, a place where you can go all year long no matter where you live and where you are going. The selection of fabrics reflects this versatility and timelessness but also the “lushness” of the brand from faux fur, buttery velvets to lightweight cashmeres.

Although, the sourcing of the fabrics has been a challenge for us, as we strive to use predominantly recycled, responsible materials wherever possible. We have started to overcome this with some incredible suppliers in Europe that understood our position and have sourced some beautiful recycled materials for us, which you can see in the collection today.

Details make all the difference. Could you share some specific design details that you've incorporated into your blazers and jackets to make them stand out in the world of womenswear?

For YOMI, the drama is in the details. Think of YOMI as the theatre in which you can play out your life - From the bright outer colours to the bright contrasting jacquard monogram linings, the glint of the buttons adornments, the theatrics of each piece give the wearer the chance to transform into any persona they desire.

Colour plays a vital role in communicating emotions through fashion. Can you shed some light on the specific colour palette you've chosen for your collection and the emotions or moods these colours are meant to evoke?

I don't have a colour palette per se, I don't work with an imposed colour palette. I work with the colours that are at my core. Colour contains certain memories but also it has a power to evoke and determine specific moods and feelings too.

I have an intrinsic draw to the colour purple, which you will always spot within the collection, and tend to develop all other colours from there, outward, be it the pink or blue hues all originated from a purple, then organically developed to create the palette that is both elegant yet bold. Every designer has a favourite piece in their collection. Could you tell us about yours and explain the story behind it? What makes it particularly special to you?

Choosing one blazer is like choosing one music track or movie that is your absolute favourite, it depends on the moment I am in. It can change from day to day, It is more about who I want to be on that certain day that will dictate my favourite blazer. They all hold something very precious to me too, as I have developed each piece you feel intrinsically connected, so they almost become familiar, important people that you take out to the places they prefer.

Creating a debut collection is a monumental step. Could you give us a glimpse into the challenges and joys you experienced throughout the process of bringing your vision to life?

There have been some pivotal moments that have fortuitously led me to this point. They were situations that felt hopeless and out of my control at the time, but on reflection were the big 're-set' in my life and gave way for YOMI to come to fruition.

Let’s say I keep oscillating, still today, between feeling insane and feeling this is the right thing. One significant moment was the decision to move from Brussels, our hometown, to London, which really was the beginning of giving life to the project, sharing it and showing it to others which for me was a very difficult thing to do at first, as I had been working alone (and rather secretly) on this for quite a long time. In London, we started forming teams and working together to shape the brand. It wasn’t an easy transition; we were uprooting our lives with a small child, starting completely fresh, knowing the voyage ahead would be a long one, but one we were excited to start. Prior to this, I had been working with my husband on his label, Ark 8 for a number of years, and prior to that, in Law, so change is something I know and I relish, but did not necessarily come easy to me either.

With my background, I am in some ways an “outsider” to the industry too, so there have definitely been learnings along the way, building the team, sourcing suppliers, finessing the designs, but together, the whole team and my family, have made this all happen. The start of the future.

Who do you envision as the ideal wearer of your blazers and jackets? How do you see these pieces becoming integral parts of their wardrobes?

I believe for most people, clothing has a transformative power to shape you, each item ‘owning’ a degree of magic to create its own story, personality or seduction. So I would envision the wearer to be able to feel this when they put on a YOMI piece, that they feel the desire to be bold and fearless when they wear it and they embrace that each piece will make them ‘feel’ something completely unique to them -

YOMI would be where you are impacted deeply by a story. The characters imprint on you and almost walk alongside you the next day, like a strong dream, that leaves an echo of impact on your waking life. It's real, yet you know it's not but feels even briefly so tangible. Real life can feel restrictive, but in this inbetween space you can direct, erase, re-write the pages to live out, and YOMI dresses those internal moments. The “ wearer” would be somebody who can connect and resonate to that.

Incorporating timeless elements into a collection is often a balancing act with current trends. How did you manage to infuse a sense of timelessness while still ensuring your pieces resonate with contemporary fashion preferences?

It is instinctive to follow the trends of your era, it does not really require any “work” for me. It is right there, I am naturally infused by what I see every day, our current trends. This is not hard to ensure, but going back in time and reinterpreting and recalibrating without making it too tacky or too obvious is where the difficulty lies and I would not say I have managed, it is a complex and everlasting balance to achieve. Your collection strikes a balance between structured elegance and casual wearability. Could you provide some styling advice for our readers on how to effortlessly integrate your blazers and jackets into their day-to-day outfits?

The beauty of the blazers is that they work so well with just a pair of high waisted jeans and flatforms. They are extremely versatile and allow you to keep things comfortable by just adding a pop of colour and extravagance to whatever you are wearing.

The fashion world is always curious about what's next. While you may not want to give away all the secrets, could you offer a tantalising hint about the direction your next collection for Yomi might take?

The next chapter for YOMI will see some new colours, fabrics and shapes but also the imagery that we can create around it, the story in which we set the scene for these pieces to be played out in - a new part of the YOMI universe that we can explore and share. Each collection is a new opportunity to share this - the ‘Voyage,” of the woman that will wear it. With the first collection we have presented the grace and elegance of the YOMI woman, her sorrow. In this next chapter, we are addressing her wildness and sensuality.

Finally, as a London-based designer representing in California, what are your aspirations for the reception of your debut collection? How do you hope your designs will resonate with the California fashion scene and beyond?

I think Californians, because of the variety of natural beauty that surrounds them set against a busy metropolitan life are the best for dressing exactly as they wish, being free and liberated with how they choose to present themselves. They have a sense of ease with their wardrobe, selecting pieces that are chic yet comfortable, luxurious yet nonchalant - they would find a place for YOMI in their lives very easily.