Japan Fashion Week to celebrate 20 years with forward-looking Rakuten FWT

The Japan Fashion Week Organisation (JFWO) is celebrating its 20th anniversary for the spring/summer 2026 season, and with it will come a future-orientated edition of Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo (FWT).

This season, both the fashion week’s visual theme – ‘The Future Doesn’t Appear Out of Nowhere’ – as well as its overall theme – ‘Be the seam that connects the world’ – intend to pay tribute to the organisation’s 20-year history, while also “looking forward with hope to what lies ahead”, a press release stated.

Spanning September 1 to 6, FWT will host 23 brands over 20 designer shows and three partnership shows, with Tokyo’s Shibuya Hikarie to serve as the primary venue. Among the line-up are five first-time participants and five brands from overseas.

A highlight of the schedule is the fashion week’s ‘By R’ event, an initiative backed by headline sponsor Rakuten that aims to support the inclusion of either international or successful local designers at the event.

This year, Fetico, the label of Emi Funayama, has been selected as the headlining brand, marking its seventh show as part of the FWT just five years after its launch. Fetico joins the likes of past ‘By R’ participants; Bape, Paul Smith and Marimekko.

Elsewhere, emerging brands Mukcyen and Jun.y will take part under JFWO’s brand support programme, JFW Next Brand Award. While the former has been named the recipient of the Grand Prix, allowing designer Yuka Kimura to host the brand’s first runway show, the latter has received the Special Award.

Return to entirely physical schedule with more defined categories

To align with the changing landscape of fashion, JFWO said that, akin to the wider industry, it has shifted its focus towards physical presentations, removing digital content from its schedule altogether. With this, it will also be introducing more defined categories to clarify the significance of each show type and “solidify its role” as a fashion week organiser.

As such, solo runways held by individual brands will be known as ‘Official Designer Shows’, representing the core of the event; ‘Partnership Shows’ will refer to shows hosted by national organisations or featured as part of affiliated events; and shows platforming students or school-based organisations will continue under the title of ‘Incubation Shows’, as part of the fashion week’s affiliate event programme.

JFWO initially launched in 2005 under the name Fashion Strategy Forum with the goal of creating a platform to showcase the legacy of designers over the following years. Over its duration, the organisation has been responsible for introducing various support programmes, initiatives and partnerships with global organisations to bolster its presence on the international fashion calendar.

Among its achievements are the onboarding of Rakuten as a headline sponsor; partnerships with European trade shows Pitti Uomo and Tranoi; and the launch of supportive initiatives like the Tokyo Fashion Award, backing up-and-coming talent.

Looking ahead, JFWO said it intends to continue in its commitment of supporting Japan’s textile industry and fashion scene, with this to remain a driving force of its work. “This fall, as we celebrate 20 years, we embark on a new chapter with renewed passion and determination,” the organisation added.