SEASONAL OVERVIEW SS 2025

It used to be the case that Tokyo Fashion Week was best known for over-the-top costumes, such as you would find at festivals, or for its anarchic hodgepodge of elements. These turned a defiance of tradition to their advantage, basking in the limelight that came from poking heretical holes in the orthodox of Western fashion culture, but were also ultimately treated as little more than novelties.

Recent years, however, have seen increasing appearances by brands acclaimed for their sophisticated designs and meticulous craftsmanship. Each season only seems to emphasize this trend even more, with the spring-summer 2025 season offering numerous encounters with highly accomplished collections that constitute what we might call a new kind of “Japanese luxury.”

First on the list is KANAKO SAKAI, whose spirited collection explored the theme of “the sophistication of rebellion.” The label deliberately collapsed the principles of refined beauty in an attempt to uncover a new sophisticated aesthetic. The radical styling that mixed opposing elements and distressed fabrics across all the clothes was nonetheless undergirded by a constant elegance.

Not to be outdone, HARUNOBUMURATA took inspiration from the work of Constantin Brâncuşi, a pioneering yet solitary figure in twentieth-century sculpture. Replicating the inherently hard texture of sculpture with the soft material that is fabric, the clothes were infused with the quality of haute couture and draped in a decidedly noble aura.

Other collections sparkled with luxury that concealed a Japanese savoir-faire: SHINYAKOZUKA focused on a colorful charm in ways that revealed a different pedigree to KANAKO SAKAI and HARUNOBUMURATA; YOHEI OHNO turned to everyday clothing for the first time with an interdisciplinary approach; FETICO attempted a minimal style that nonetheless pursued a fetishistic worldview; TELMA harnessed vibrant colors for its inaugural show; and HATRA utilized AI while paying homage to classic styles.

This season yielded an array of encounters with new and promising talent. Of particular note is mukcyen, included in our roundup for the first time and whose remarkable collection belied its status as only the second since the label’s debut. There is so much potential in the uniqueness of its sources of inspiration, the level of skill demonstrated in shaping its themes into designs, the quality of the clothes as products, and, above all, its highly unusual aesthetic rooted in the culture of China, where the Japan-born designer grew up. There was no way that mukcyen would not make it into our reviews this season.

The fifteen labels we have reviewed were carefully selected from the many brands who presented. Quite a few are still developing, yet all have incredible potential. Please enjoy these collections from Tokyo’s future stars.