Introduction to Tokyo Fashion Week
Hirofumi Kurino, co-founder of United Arrows, was part of the cohort of industrial numbers that contributed to the start of the event. "We thought how could we make Tokyo Fashion Week a charming place? Because we didn’t have big names: no comme des Garçons, no Issey Miyake, no Yohji Yamamoto," says Kurino. "So I said why we didn’t apply the younger or independent brands? The first few years were not easy.
The Early Years
Hundreds of designers went through the week: Mikio Sakabe, founder of his brand of the same name and the shoe line of grounds, was an important figure in the union of designers and the care of new talents in Tokyo. "Mikio Sakabe and [his wife, designer] has run a new generation of designers pioneering, ”says Kumiko Takano, fashion professor at Meiji University. Sakabe’s own beginning was in 2007 as part of a group exhibition, which included Taro Horiuchi and Yoshiku Yamagata, who founded the seed fashion school Coconogacco alongside Sakabe.
International Designers
International designers have been part of the mix since the beginning, with some more surprising people than others. For the showcase in 2007, Sakabe invited two angular young Antwerpen graduates: Helena Lumelsky and a then not unknown Demna Gvasalia. The presentation of the duo among its brand stereotypes, in which a collection based on tropics such as school teachers and bouncers was based, showed the early seeds of the collections that would later shake the entire global industry.
Notable Shows
During its tenure, the Tokyo Fashion Week was supported by three large sponsors who reflect the changes in the fashion finance model. The current sponsor focuses on e-commerce connections and its initiative, which finances the show of a celebrity designer every season. Some of the top-class shows that have organized the week include a joint presentation of Sacai and Undercover in 2017, and a show that expanded in a moving train. “These presentations of brands that have a strong presence on the global market had both effects and meaning, precisely because they took place here at home [in Japan]".
The Sponsors
The Tokyo Fashion Week has been supported by three large sponsors: Mercedes-Benz, Amazon, and Rakuten. The current sponsor, Rakuten, focuses on e-commerce connections and its initiative, which finances the show of a celebrity designer every season. The sponsors have played a significant role in shaping the event and providing opportunities for designers to showcase their work.
