20 years on: A brief history of Tokyo’s fashion week

As the 20th edition of Tokyo Fashion Week begins to wrap up, it seems an apt time to look back on the evolution of Japan’s leading fashion event and how it has been reshaped over its lifespan.

This season, under the theme ‘Be The Seam That Connects The World - JFW 20 + 20’, the fashion week wished not only to pay tribute to its 20-year history, but also “look forward with hope to what lies ahead”.

Now in a milestone anniversary year, organiser Japan Fashion Week Organisation (JFWO) took the opportunity to reflect during an opening event held on August 29 that celebrated a number of designers and brands that have previously participated in the fashion week, of which there are 524 in total.

It also unveiled a number of structural changes intended to ensure the longevity and leadership of the fashion week, adding to the already extensive evolution the event has undergone over its history. Here, we take a brief deep dive into how Tokyo Fashion Week has adapted throughout its existence.

2005: The beginnings

Prior to the establishment of the Japan Fashion Week Organisation (JFWO), which is now responsible for organising Tokyo Fashion Week, Japan’s fashion industry had been struggling with grabbing the attention of domestic and international media and buyers. Despite boasting a strong manufacturing industry and distinct market identity, Tokyo was not yet recognised as a place for business.

The industry was being run by the Council of Fashion Designers, Tokyo, the organiser of the Tokyo Collection, a semi-annual fashion festival promoting Japanese culture and fashion. Despite its popularity, and a showcase by Chanel, the event underwent a review in 2005, which determined that the industry was in need of a platform to help unify and strengthen the Tokyo fashion scene.

In order to do so, designers, manufacturers, and members of the apparel and retail industry came together to establish the Fashion Strategy Forum – now known as the JFWO – through which they set out to organise textile exhibitions and other fashion events, ultimately forming what was to be Japan Fashion Week in Tokyo.

2010: A global perspective

Now as an established organisation, JFWO began setting its sights on global markets. To step foot into this new realm, the organisation signed onto a five-year agreement with IMG Fashion, which was to serve as the sole and exclusive representative of sponsorship rights. Through the deal, the duo worked together on pushing for growth and increasing Tokyo’s reputation as a major textile and fashion player.

2011: Mercedes-Benz named first title sponsor

Automobile giant Mercedes-Benz became the first title sponsor for Japan Fashion Week Tokyo, marking the beginning of what was to become a staple of Tokyo’s strategy for international growth. The event officially became Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo, a title under which JFWO set out to establish itself as a notable event on the global fashion calendar.

2014: Platforming local talent

In order to help support and uplift emerging local designers, JFWO launched its Tokyo Fashion Award in 2014. The programme, which is still ongoing, grants emerging designers funding and runway opportunities both in Tokyo and on global stages, like Paris Fashion Week.

2016: Amazon sponsorship

Continuing on the path of global partnerships, Amazon became the title sponsor of the fashion week, rebranding it Amazon Fashion Week Tokyo, thus taking over the role from Mercedes-Benz after 10 seasons. Beginning with the event’s 23rd edition, a new structure supported by Amazon aimed to strengthen connections between designers and consumers, introducing features like online stores and ‘see-now-buy-now’ initiatives.

2019: Rakuten steps in

The fashion week once again changed sponsorship hands, looking closer to home for its next partner. Japanese tech and retail company Rakuten stepped up to sponsor the event, aptly changing its name to Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo. While not only helping in the way of funding, this latest partnership went further, deepening JFWO’s collaboration between fashion and technology as well as enhancing its support of the local Japanese fashion industry.

The partnership also fed into the wider Rakuten Fashion strategy, launched the same year, through which the company set out to promote Japanese fashion globally.

2020: Pandemic sweeps through

The pandemic was a defining moment for fashion, a one in which almost all brands, events and organisations had to reconsider their approach to a rapidly changing world. Covid-19 put much of the industry at a standstill; stores closed, brands halted production and events, including Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo, went into physical hiatus, many instead opting for digital formats.

In response to the rapid changes, Rakuten and the fashion week introduced ‘By R’, a support initiative to assist Japanese, and now also international, designers with digital or physical showcases and pop-up experiences. The first brands selected to take part were that of Doublet and Facetasm, the latter having returned to Tokyo after previously showing for six years in Milan. This, in itself, reflected a wider mission of the initiative: to encourage notable Japanese designers to take up a spot on the Tokyo schedule and, in turn, spotlight the event for an international audience.

2022: Emerging brand support builds

In addition to the already ongoing Tokyo Fashion Award, JFWO also launched the JFW Next Brand Award as part of its wider ‘JFW Brand Support Programme’. This accolade, first given for the SS23 season, serves as a gateway for emerging Japanese designers to enter the global fashion landscape, providing them with a supportive platform on which they can showcase their talent.

2023: Renewed momentum

After a few years in limbo, bouncing between digital and physical showcases, the AW23 Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo saw the event garnering a renewed momentum. The fashion week had seemingly emerged from prior financial constraints and a limited international attendance, bolstered by the anniversary show of popular streetwear brand BAPE, which took part under ‘By R’.

2024: International ties

On the back of a revival, 2024 saw Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo continue building on its international ties. In September, the first Japanese edition of French trade show Tranoï took place, coinciding with the SS25 fashion week. The event took over the former spot of Project Tokyo, which had withdrawn from the timetable, and thus intended to give Tokyo’s fashion week a new commercial dimension, director of Tranoï, Boris Provost, had said at the time.

Months later, it was announced that JFWO had also partnered with Pitti Uomo as a means of reinforcing the promotional activities related to the Florentine menswear fair. Together, the two organisations wish to take "coordinated and unified action” to address a “long wave of economic and political shocks” by backing activities aimed at bolstering the joint cooperation and collective performance of both markets.

2025: Anniversary year

Now moving into its 20th year, Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo is looking ahead. On the back of renewed excitement over Paul Smith’s participation in the event earlier this year, another ‘By R’ show, for this latest edition JFWO enacted shifts in the fashion week’s structure that look to align with the changing landscape of fashion.

A key element to this is the entire removal of digital content from the schedule. With this, the fashion week has placed a renewed emphasis on individual brand shows, known as ‘Official Designer Shows’, as well as shows hosted by national organisations or affiliated events, dubbed ‘Partnership Shows’. ‘Incubation Shows’, meanwhile, refer to events platforming schools or students.

JFWO also updated its Tokyo Fashion Award setup. For its 11th edition, support for selected designers has been extended to cover a two-year period. Winners will also be able to take part in a pop-up at 10 Corso Como in Seoul, South Korea as well as a model showroom and pop-up during Paris Fashion Week.