Held from September 2 to 7, TFW was an exhilarating fusion of nostalgia and innovation much like Tokyo itself, a city enamored of the future, and reverential of its storied past.
Think fashion week and four cities immediately come to mind: New York, London, Milan, and Paris. But who says fashion weeks are made only for these cities?
There are other notable fashion weeks—in case you need some reminding—including those held in Copenhagen (which is known for its strong adherence to sustainability), Berlin, Madrid, São Paulo, Shanghai, and, of course, Tokyo. Even if you’re not into fashion, you would know that the Japanese have some of the most distinct and exciting fashion cultures anywhere in the world. Think Harajuku chic or kawaii fashion and even anime- or cosplay-inspired wear and you can imagine exactly what I mean.
So pervasive is fashion’s force in Japanese society that the nation’s capital is rightfully a fashion mecca itself. The “Big Four” at times is expanded to the “Big Five,” giving Tokyo its rightful spot among the world’s greatest fashion capitals. A stroll through chaotic Takeshita-dori or the hushed alleys of Shimo-Kitazawa would further drive home my point.
You can trust the Japanese to come up with the most creative, cutting edge ideas even in fashion. And Rakuten Tokyo Fashion Week 2025 is but another proof of how exciting the city’s fashion landscape is and will always be.
The event earlier this month was an exhilarating fusion of nostalgia and innovation much like Tokyo itself, a city enamored of the future, and reverential of its storied past. Let The POST walk you through some of the most striking collections during Rakuten Tokyo Fashion Week.
Telma
Womenswear brand Telma kicked off Rakuten Tokyo Fashion Week on Sept. 2 at Tokyo’s Shibuya Hikarie complex with dainty florals and gorgeous fabrics. The brand was honored with the opening slot as the 2025 Grand Prix winner of the Next Brand Award, announced a month earlier by the Japan Fashion Week Organization (JFWO), as per The Japan Times.
The brainchild of Antwerp-educated designer and former Issey Miyake textile artist Terumasa Nakajima, Telma is known for its innovative textiles inspired by traditional Japanese crafts as much as it is for its sustainable practices. Described by Elle as a “masterclass in sustainability,” the brand’s spring/summer collection featured pieces like tailored jackets made from 100% washi paper and skirts from Konjac—yep, we’re talking about the humble root crop.
Through its partnership with Kyocera, Telma makes use of the electronics company’s special inkjet textile printer that reduces the amount of water needed to produce a single garment to 0.02 liters per kilogram. That’s thousands of times more resource-efficient than the standard 100 to 150 liters of water! Every piece in the collection then is not only a nod to Japanese culture but is also a step forward toward a more sustainable fashion industry.
Fetico
If Telma gave us a peek into the future of sustainable fashion, Fetico, meanwhile, gave us a jolt of nostalgia and took us back to the 1980s. Its spring-summer collection melds inspirations from bygone days with contemporary sensibilities.
Titled “The Secrets,” designer Emi Funayama’s collection featured daring lingerie-inspired details, sultry skin-baring cuts, and sculptural tailoring that would look perfect on strong, independent women. But there are also polka dot patterns and rose motifs aplenty—because who says powerful women can’t channel femininity, too?
Yoshiokubo
Held at the Lumine the Yoshimoto comedy theater in Shinjuku, the brand’s theme revolved around “Shu-Ha-Ri,” the Japanese philosophical concept for the mastery of skills and techniques from martial arts to the delicate art of ikebana or flower arrangement. “Shu-Ha-Ri” refers to three phases that define the progression of learning the arts: Protect/Learn (shu), Break (ha) and Detach/ transcend (ri).
With this concept as inspiration, Yoshiokubo came up with a collection that’s fitting for its 20th anniversary—one that is playful yet impeccable, featuring a mix of patchwork, cut-back designs, and streamlined silhouettes, each telling its own story. There’s even a reimagined ‘Jello Shoes’ and garments that “switch, gather, and transform.”
Making the show even more unforgettable is Yoshiokubo’s collaboration with the Yoshimoto Shinkigeki comedy troupe. The show opened with a live 10-minute comedy sketch starring famous Japanese comedians, some of whom also took to the runway.
This unlikely collaboration between a fashion label and a comedy group allowed Yoshiokubo to celebrate two decades of creativity in the most creative way possible: weaving fashion and performance together in a show to remember for the next 20 years and beyond.
Shinyakozuka
Another brand that’s celebrating its anniversary, Shinyakozuka Issue#6 collection turned the runway into a storybook moment inspired by designer and Central Saint Martins alum Shinya Kozuka’s picture book, A Town That Forgot Colors. Presented at the National Stadium with a stunning blue carpet as runway, the show, a celebration of the brand’s 10th anniversary, started in monochrome but soon burst into a breathtaking clash of colors.
There are dreamy blue lamé jackets, vivid abstract prints, and sensational leather bags in collaboration with Tsuchiya Kaban. It was a fashion show as much as it was a theatrical masterpiece, seamlessly blending together fashion, art, and storytelling.
Anrealage Homme
Another ode to the past, Kunihiko Morinaga’s Anrealage Homme show whisked us back to “childhood landscapes” with its spring/summer collection. The nostalgic pieces played with themes of purity, distortion, and immaturity made evident in the colorful, hand-drawn patterns, rounded silhouettes, cute knitwear, and playful embroidered details that had that made-by-granny vibe.
The show’s soundtrack featured iconic Japanese rock band The Blue Hearts, which added another layer of nostalgia, harking back to those long-gone years of innocence when our world revolved around playgrounds, childhood games, and anime.
Balmung
If Anrealage Homme is all about nostalgia, Hachi’s (full name Ryuichi Shiroshita) BALMUNG is a bullet train ride to the future. His spring/summer 2025 is a journey to a “fictional city” that blurs the lines between reality and imagination.
Taking chunks of inspiration from cultural movements, sci-fi, and spiritual imagery, the collection was presented in a circular, two-story set much like construction scaffolding. From oversized outerwear to quirky stuffed animal motifs, the designs embraced a mix of reality and fantasy that are so mesmerizing they are almost hypnotic. Models sourced from the internet also added a unique, almost otherworldly feel, further emphasizing the brand’s trademark avant-garde vision.
Photos from Telma, Fetico, Yoshioukubo, BALMUNG, SHINYAOKUZA, and Anrealage Homme.
