Tokyo Fashion Week: from European debuts to backstage photography with Meta glasses
Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo will run from August 31 to September 5, with 28 confirmed collections for the spring/summer 2027 season.
The framework includes 25 official designer shows, including four debuts, and three partnership shows, through which associations and organisations group brands from individual countries. Including the partnership shows, nine collections will come from abroad, with another brand showing via the Rakuten “by R” project. The main venue will remain the Shibuya Hikarie shopping centre, supplemented by the brands' own locations, the Japan Fashion Week Organization announced on Tuesday.
The fashion week follows the organiser's 20th anniversary, which was celebrated last September. It aims to further position itself as a platform for Japan-based designers and to cooperate more closely with fashion events abroad. As presentation formats are diversifying internationally, Tokyo is focusing on a mix of different formats this season, with an emphasis on physical shows.
Two European designers in Tokyo
Two European brands are showing in Tokyo for the first time. Spanish brand Sonia Carrasco will present at Hikarie Hall A, while French designer Anthony Calydon will show at his own location. Both events are the result of a collaboration between the Japan Fashion Week Organization and the Run x Andam Fashion Awards Paris. Calydon was awarded the Andam Pierre Bergé Prize this year. From Asia, participants include Charinyeh from Taiwan making its Tokyo debut; Whitenook from China, which is now an official designer show after a partnership show; and Wisharawish from Thailand.
On the Japanese side, Yoshiokubo will open the season. Soduk returns for the first time since spring/summer 2023, Megmiurawardrobe since autumn/winter 2023, and Yukihero Pro-Wrestling since autumn/winter 2019. Keikonishiyama will present its first physical show after previous digital presentations. Five former winners of the Tokyo Fashion Award will also be present: Anna Choi, Kakan, Pillings, RequaL≡ and Yushokobayashi.
The Grand Prix for the JFW Next Brand Award 2027 will remain vacant. The jury and organisers saw potential in the finalists in terms of quality, originality and financial strength. However, they did not consider them mature enough for the award and their own show. The organisation announced a fundamental review of the award's significance and structure. The winners of the Tokyo Fashion Award 2027 and the Fashion Prize of Tokyo 2027 will be announced at the end of the fashion week.
Several industry events will take place around the fashion week. The Run x Andam Fashion Awards Paris showroom will open at Shibuya Hikarie, where Taiwanese brand C Jean will host a presentation and exhibition. The Tranoï Tokyo trade fair will follow for the fifth time on September 9 and 10 at the Yoyogi National Stadium, accompanied for the first time by an “Edition 0” of Denim Première Vision in Tokyo.
For its own coverage this season, the organiser is using AI glasses from its media partner, Meta. The devices allow for hands-free photography and filming, which will be used to capture footage from the shows and from otherwise inaccessible backstage areas. The recordings will be shot from a first-person perspective and shared via the fashion week's official social media channels.
From the German-speaking region, Berlin-based retailer Andreas Murkudis will attend as an officially sponsored guest; his multi-brand store in Berlin-Tiergarten celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2027. The programme for international buyers also includes Mario de Angelis, who buys for the Verona concept store Macondo, and Hyeongwoo Peter Lim from the Seoul-based store Beaker.
This article was created with the help of AI.