Rakuten FWT: International brands find a home in Japan, local names prepare for Paris

While New York Fashion Week began to take over the US city, on the opposite side of the globe Tokyo was already well in the midst of its own fashion frenzy as Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo (FWT) held its SS25 season. The event, hosted by Japan Fashion Week Organisation (JFWO), welcomed a total of 33 brands across its six day span, wrapping up on September 7 with a final show by local label Anrealage Homme.

It marked another season in which FWT continued to update its image in a bid to widen the participation brands and awareness of global audiences. As such, the concept for the season was ‘Fashion Fanfare’, which encouraged both brands and onlookers alike to discover the “fun” and “emotion” of fashion. Such concepts have become synonymous with the fashion week, and have helped it establish a firm identity through promotional works aiming to both grow an audience and exhibit what to expect for each season.

It appears that such efforts are working too, as each season the fashion week welcomes more and more brands to its calendar, particularly in the way of international names, who it actively encourages to make Japan their second home. This has already been the case for Taiwanese brand Seivson, which has been supported in the country through various awards and has made a solid name for itself among Japanese consumers. So much so that founder Tzu Chin Shen opened Seivson’s first Japanese subsidiary in Kyoto earlier this year ahead of plans to further expand the brand into Paris and other European markets at a later stage.

International brands enjoy increased popularity among Japanese consumers

Shen herself has continued to incorporate Japanese design qualities into her own projects, as was the case for this latest collection for which she included traditional Kyoto materials, such as Nishijin brocade. Following the theme ‘Traces’, Shun explored the brand’s signature outerwear through new takes on reconstruction. She was one of the seven overseas designers taking part in this year’s Rakuten FWT, showing alongside Wisharawish from Thailand, Global Fashion Collective from Canada, Shanghai’s Yueqi Qi, Philippines-based PH Mode x Tyo by MFF, Hong Kong’s Wilsonkaki and Italian label House of Muamua.

Many of these labels have begun to experience an increase in popularity among local consumers in Japan, as was clear at Yueqi Qi’s runway show at the New National Stadium. Here, fans rushed to the venue sporting a range of looks from the brand, generating an upbeat atmosphere both in and around the stadium. For Qi’s second appearance at Rakuten FWT, the designer brought a line entitled ‘Gilded Speed’, through which rattan furniture, fences and athleisure served as the primary inspiration. To add to the fervour, a number of collaborations made themselves known on the runway, including most notably a partnership with Adidas, which was incorporated into lingerie camisoles and track jackets. A collaboration with Ugg was also unveiled.

The upheaval in consumer support for both Yueqi Qi and Seivson could be proof that Rakuten FWT’s attempts to bring a more global essence to its fashion week is paying off. Its effort doesn’t end there, however. This season saw the launch of the first edition of Tranoï Tokyo, bringing over the initially Parisian trade fair to a new Japanese stage of Bellesalle Shibuya First. Around 175 brands took part, descending from Asia, Europe and the US, all selected following a “rigorous” screening process. The first day of the two-day event already brought in a mixed crowd, according to JFWO, with buyers, press and other fashion professionals attending from both Japan and abroad. .

Support programmes for local brands encourage international exploration

While it is clear that ties between the international fashion landscape and Rakuten FWT are beginning to tighten, the organisation has already had in place platforms for its local brands that, typically, aim to bolster their presence outside of Japan itself. Sulvam was one of those receiving such support this year, having been selected as the ‘By R’ recipient for the season, meaning Rakuten would sponsor both its Tokyo show and a spot on the Paris Fashion Week schedule ahead of the brand’s Paris flagship store opening.

Its show during FWT was staged as somewhat of a homecoming for the Japanese brand, held in the Bunka Fashion College, where designer Teppei Fujita had previously studied. Students from the college were appointed as the models for a show held exclusively to industry professionals, reflecting Fujita’s mission to “pass the baton to the future”. The runway commemorated the brand’s 10th year of existence, and thus played into the elements that it has become known for, including women’s tailoring, a category it launched last year; experimental patternmaking; and asymmetrical cuts.

Paris will continue to play host to other brands named as winners during various ceremonies held within the fashion week. For the 10th edition of Tokyo Fashion Award, Kanemasa Phil, Tamme, Tokio, Hatra, Riv Nobuhiko, Satoru Sasaki and Tan were selected to take part in the project’s upcoming business matching event Showroom.Tokyo in Paris throughout March 2025. The initiative, which includes a preview exhibition and opening party for Rakuten FWT, aims to support Tokyo-based designers in expanding their business in the global arena.

Sstein was also named the winner of the Fashion Prize of Tokyo 2025 during an event held at the fashion week’s official venue Shibuya Hikarie. As part of the award, designer Kiichiro Asakawa will be able to present his label at shows during Paris Fashion Week in January and June of 2025 as he looks to secure international visibility, as well as holding a Rakuten FWT return event in March. When asked about the award, Asakawa said: “I am very happy to receive the award at a time when I have been holding exhibitions overseas every season and have been hoping to overcome one or two obstacles. It is a very sobering feeling.”