The dust has settled after the final show of Tokyo¡¯s fashion week on Oct. 19, with Rakuten being the new official sponsor taking up the mantle after fellow online retail giant Amazon, who followed Mercedes-Benz. Featuring 42 brands on the official schedule, and a handful more off it, the week ran from Oct.14 to 20. And as it jostled with the Rugby World Cup for attention, it brought with it a familiar question: How should the week pitch itself to attract the global audience it deserves?
Tokyo fashion week¡¯s battle for identity has always been between that of the runway versus the fashion on streets and it¡¯s happened on all fronts. Online, collection coverage has been eclipsed by TokyoFashion.com and Vogue¡¯s excellently curated street-style reports, while runway front rows buzzed with talk of up-and-coming street stars instead of runway looks.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.