Yomi Redefines Blazerwear, With New Collection Launching This December

Founded by ex-lawyer Fanny Van de Wijngaert and born out of her love for blazerwear, YOMI’s first collection of blazer-style jackets featuring nostalgic jewel shades and exaggerated shoulders was a sell-out success. Clean yet bold, over-sized yet flattering to the form, YOMI’s designs pay homage to retro tailored silhouettes but with a decisive and sultry tone, and creates a whole new category that redefines blazerwear. The second collection — named Next Chapter and launching in a few days this December — promises to deliver a drop that’s even better than its inaugural range.

Loved by die-hard fans and central to YOMI’s aesthetic and identity, the amplified shoulder line and gold oversized buttons have taken on a heightened energy and attitude, with distinguished shapes elevated by unexpected riot of colors and detailing.

Exploring femininity through its various forms, blazers from YOMI’s new seasonal collection are brought together in responsibly sourced long-haired luxurious cashmere, thick alpaca blends and a mix of lighter-weight silk-touch wools, creating a combination designed as colder-weather companions and layering go-tos. Fascinated by how a young brand has executed its first collection so flawlessly, I speak to Van de Wijngaert on everything you need to know about YOMI and its upcoming second collection.

How would you define YOMI’s brand aesthetics, and what’s the inspiration behind the newest collection?

A significant part of this inspiration I would 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.

The concept and the world that sustained YOMI was inevitably (but not something I realized immediately nor initially) deeply connected to my own mother and grandmother's personality and style. The gold touches (mainly the buttons) and the colors come from a shared love my grandmother and I have for extravagant adornments, “shiny vibrant sparkly things” as she would say — 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. The blazer’s strong structure is more inspired by 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 always wear them too. She gave me so many of her blazers when I was younger that the majority of my blazer wardrobe is made of hers. They were her uniform, her second skin and they have become mine.

How long did the process of establishing your brand take, and what are the challenges you have faced?

After leaving Law, which I had been practising for a few years, I felt the necessity to go through the stages of learning that I had become so adept in undertaking my whole life — society teaches you from a young age that it has to be earned and a process adhered to otherwise you do not deserve to be in that particular place. I did my due diligence, and cut my teeth in the professional creative space working alongside my husband on his brand (ARK 8) as co-Creative Director. I learned a huge amount during the 3 years working alongside him, but it also taught me and showed me that I am capable of creating my own dream too. When I made the leap, what I was undertaking started to feel right and rather something I had no choice to undertake anyway, it was that or nothing.

What makes YOMI s0 unique?

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.

What are your favorite YOMI styles and what’s your way of styling them?

Choosing one blazer is like choosing one music track or movie that is your absolute favorite, 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 favorite 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. For styling, the beauty of the blazers is that they work so well with just a pair of high waisted jeans and heels. They are extremely versatile and allow you to keep things comfortable by just adding a pop of color and extravagance to whatever you are wearing.

Who is the “YOMI girl”?

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 in-between 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.

What’s next for you and YOMI?

The next chapter for YOMI will see some new colors, 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 fist 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.

YOMI’s second collection — Next Chapter — will be launched via two drops available on www.yomi-universe.com in December 2023 and February 2024 respectively.