Japanese fashion is making its presence felt all over the world, from Myanmar, where a Japanese fashion show was staged for the first time as part of a cultural exchange program, to New York, where thirteen top designers staged a runway show. But the biggest Japanese fashion show remains the Japanese Fashion Week, which is held twice a year in Tokyo.
Fashion weeks are staged by the fashion industry to showcase the latest collections of top designers and fashion houses. The most prominent events are held in fashion capitals New York City, Dusseldorf, Milan, Paris and London. Japan staged its first fashion week in 1985, where fashion designers presented their latest outfits in the hope that they would set the trend for the coming year. However, the Council of Fashion Designers restructured Japan Fashion Week in 2005, since the event was having trouble attracting the top names. The restructuring was successful and Japan Fashion Week has become one of the best known and influential fashion showcases, not only domestically but also internationally.
However, many fashion industry observers, while acknowledging that the JFW serves as a good showcase for younger designers, say that the Week still suffers from a lack of name brands. Popular labels such as Under Cover, Comme les Garcons and Yohji Yamamoto all show their collections in Paris rather than at the JFW. Many promising young brands which are attracting international notice, such as menswear makers N Hoolywood and John Lawrence Sullivan, also schedule shows outside of JFW.
Despite the lack of interest from the major brands, Japan Fashion Week remains one of the major events in the Japanese fashion scene. The 8th JFW, staged in March 2009, attracted 37 brands, including popular names such as tiny dinosaur and G.V.G.V. The Autumn-Winter collections shown were best characterized as dark. Aguri Sagimori’s pieces were inspired by ‘90s grunge, starting his show with hot pants and ending with a long black dress. Somarta stressed a military theme with long coats and dresses in purple paisleys.
Junya Tashiro also offered a collection that was primarily in black with a few notable exceptions: ivory tops and bottoms with dancing lions and a striking hoop dress in white and pink. Araisara showed off a colorless black and white collection in simple straight lines.
Meanwhile, Jotaro Saito was singled out by critics for his daring to use the kimono in his collection. Saito’s pieces were mostly in subdued colors with a few exceptions – a soft yellow and thin green among them; the collection was said to have more of a spring feel than the fall collection it was supposed to be.
The 9th Japan Fashion Week is scheduled to be held in October 2009, and it was recently launched with a runway show featuring the women’s wear label Mintdesigns. The label’s collection featured patterned ensembles and head pieces that looked as if they had been constructed from popsicle sticks.
Before the 9th JFW, however, Japanese fashion lovers in New Zealand enjoyed a dose of the country’s outrageous styles as a Japanese fashion show was staged there in late-September as part of the Taste of Japan expo. The show featured traditional kimonos and yukata, cosplay creations and cyberpunk-inspired styles.
