Overseas star bloggers' reviews of Tokyo Fashion Week. Anrealage Yamatofu and Phenomenon are the focus.

Oct 29, 2013

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week TOKYO 2014 S/S invited guest bloggers from overseas as part of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Cool Japan initiative, "Discovering and Promoting Collaboration with Cool Japan Seeds (Overseas Information Dissemination Project)." Susie Lau, Tommy Ton, and Phil Oh visited fashion shows, exhibition venues, and showrooms. Interviewed on the afternoon of the 17th, the three bloggers cited brands that had presented collections up to that point, such as ANREALAGE, matohu, and mintdesigns. Of brands that had presented in the form of an exhibition, all cited PHENOMENON. Susie, a writer and editor living in London who runs the blog "Style Bubble," commented, "This is my second time at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo, and Matofu is unique. I'm also looking forward to seeing more from LAMARCK. Off-schedule, mint designs and ANREALAGE were fantastic. ANREALAGE represents the new 21st century generation. Of the designers who will lead Japanese fashion in the future, I think they are the ones who have most closely carried on the traditions of Japanese fashion created by COMME DES GARCONS and YOHJI YAMAMOTO. Written afterwards and MIKIO SAKABE also showed collections that were uniquely Tokyo and can't be seen in other countries." He also commented, "The exhibitions were interesting. Seeing collections from G.V.G.V., Phenomenon, and mame gave me a good overall picture of Tokyo." Tommy from JAK&JIL, visiting Japan for the second time in a year, said, "It's fun not only to see the collections, but also to see the fashion of the people gathered at exhibitions and shows. The ANREALAGE collection was very exciting. Mint Designs and DRESSEDUNDRESSED were also good." Regarding the exhibitions, he pointed out, "What's unfortunate is that some brands are holding exhibitions outside of fashion week. This means that even visitors from overseas can't see the exhibitions. It would be better to consolidate exhibitions during fashion week. It's also unfortunate that Phenomenon didn't hold a show. I hope that with support from the government and private sector, a system can be created that allows popular brands to continue holding shows."

Phil of Street Peeper said, "This is my first time coming to Tokyo for Fashion Week, but my 15th time here, and most of the clothes I always wear are Japanese brands. Tokyo Fashion Week is a lot of fun. I was able to feel the atmosphere that you can't get from videos, and by going to the exhibitions you can get a full picture of brands that you can't see overseas. I found Matofu, Mint Designs, and Anrealage interesting. At the exhibitions, Phenomenon and Sasquatchfabrix. were good. Brands and shops that don't hold shows are also influential."
樋口真一
  • From left: Phil Oh, Suzie Lau, Tommy Tong
  • Anrealage 14SS collection
  • Matofu 14SS Collection
  • Mint Designs 14SS Collection
  • Lamarque 14SS Collection
  • Dressed Undressed 14SS Collection
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