Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo fall and winter 2022 is taking place from
March 14 to 19, at the main venues of Shibuya Hikarie, the Omotesando
Hills, and various other locations chosen by individual brands. Japan has
been working on slowly returning to a post-pandemic world as Tokyo Fashion Week returned to mostly in-person shows
for the first time in two years. A total of 54 mostly homegrown
brands unveiled their fall collections with 30 designers holding physical
shows including Toga which celebrated its 25th anniversary Masatomo Agari
which held its first ever runway, and globally renowned brand Tomo
Koizumi. Since international travel is still limited, brands such as Bed
J.W. Ford collaborated with Launchmetrics on a show using 4D volumetrics
that enhanced the experience for those joining virtually. FashionUnited
rounded up notable FW22 collections from Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo and
Shibuya Fashion Week.
Living in a futuristic dystopia
For the first time ever, Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo has made a season
promotion movie, created by an aspiring new artist, Nishina, and her latest
single, Slow Motion, along with the illustrations by Gaako, an illustrator
gathering attention with her unique worldview. In one scene, the animation
depicts Shibuya in the background, depicting a girl living in a futuristic
dystopia, always changing. Accompanied by an official statement released on
its YouTube channel, the theme for TFW FW22 encapsulates this feeling:
“Today, as the world surrounding us continues to change daily, conventional
ordinary has become unordinary, with the way one carries themselves, the
way one faces others, each personʼs sense of distance is changing at the
pace of each individual.”
Malion vintage: upcycled and unisex
Designers Eriko Ishida and Aki Shimizu created their brand Malion
vintage drawing from the names ‘Maria’ and ‘Mario’ to signify the unisex
aesthetic their label embodies. They both met while working at an apparel
brand called Cher where Ishida was a buyer and store manager. Together they
realized their passion for breathing life into the good old things that
someone has treasured before, thus establishing their upcycle label Malion
vintage in 2016. The brand’s FW22 collection opened with a genderless
sheer top and an array of fabrics ranging from crochet and pleats to
patterns sewn together, giving these once cherished clothing a rebirth.
Worldly and classic tailoring by Hiroko Koshino
An internationally known designer, Hiroko Koshino was the first Japanese
designer to participate in the Alta Moda in Rome in 1978. Today, she has
six women’s ready to wear lines – Hiroko Koshino Couture, Hiroko Koshino
Premier, Hiroko Koshino, Trunk, and Hiroko BIS, re: edition project 165 –
and her creations retail in 170 stores within Japan and overseas. For the
FW22 collection, Koshino’s designs are sophisticated and classic, drawing
from traditional Japanese geometric tailoring with a contemporary flair.
Knits, kimono inspired fabric and ethnic accents added a worldly ambience
to Koshino’s fall 2022 collection.
“>
“Bosozoku” biker gang style by Maison Shun Ishizawa
Established in 2012 by designer Shun Ishizawa, Maison Shun Ishizawa
draws its inspiration from the pursuit of sophisticated martial arts by
discovering the refined elegance hidden in masculine ruggedness that he
hopes fascinates people. From Ishikari City, Hokkaido, Ishizawa has won
awards such as the YKK Fastening Award and Soen Award as a student at the
Hokkaido Bunka Fashion College. This season’s collection is a mix of
leather, traditional Japanese embroidery, denim and rockabilly hairstyles
which pays homage to the “Bosozoku” biker gang subculture from 1950s
Japan-Maison Shun Ishizawa’s FW22 collection is aptly named Bontang Hanter.
The designer’s exhibition will be held at Rental space Sakura Harajuku
Takeshita exit BF from March 22 to 24.
Photos: Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo’s website, Hiroko Koshino’s website