For three days from March 20th to 22nd, the joint exhibition "New Standard (N/E/W/S/T/D)" was held on the 8th and 9th floors of Shibuya Hikarie in conjunction with Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo.

"N/E/W/S/T/D" is a complex exhibition that combines a trade show, installation, and art exhibition. It examines "What are the values of a new era?" and positions the resulting creativity as "NEW STANDARD," a project that aims to share the works and activities of creators who embrace these new values not only domestically but around the world.

During the event, a total of over 70 brands and artists gathered at Shibuya Hikarie. The three-day special exhibition attracted many fashion industry professionals, with exhibits featuring collections from established and emerging brands, special exhibitions featuring prominent figures from fashion, art, and music, showcasing the latest trends in fashion, DJ sets, art exhibits, and talk sessions. The highlight of the event was the "N/E/W/S/T/D-TRADE SHOW" held on the 9th floor, an exhibition and business meeting for domestic and international buyers. The venue was packed with booths from 39 brands and creators, ranging from popular brands stocked at Isetan, Beams, Tomorrowland, and Lumine to up-and-coming brands, each showcasing their new collections. The theme for archi's 2013-14 Autumn/Winter collection was "Belgium." Each collection is inspired by a designer's global travels. Using textiles with motifs of withered roses and diamonds, the collection expresses a worldview that combines a refined and classic European atmosphere with a touch of fantasy. Also, Name., which was inspired by the worlds depicted in Henry Charles Bukowski's "Boyhood, Damn It!" and "Live Freely!", has developed a collection themed around "HANK" (a bundle of thread), including shirts made from Giza cotton, renowned for being the finest cotton, and zip-up coats made from original tartan checks, evoking the growth of a foreign-born, American-raised character from his youth, who lives an outlaw life but is pure and dedicated when it comes to writing novels. Other popular brands' upcoming seasons drew attention. Applebum, with its "Good Old America of the '80s and '90s" theme, used original textiles depicting the walls of Brooklyn apartments and items favored by California bad boys. Black & Blue, with its "dyeing" theme, unveiled a women's line, scheduled for its 2013-2014 Autumn/Winter 2014 debut, in addition to its men's collection. On March 21, the 8th floor, where art exhibits and special exhibitions were held, hosted a talk session with Masaki Takita, editor-in-chief of Change Fashion, a fashion website exploring new forms of fashion. The audience listened intently to the conversation between the distinguished guests Kazuyoshi Minamimagoshi (BEAMS Creative Research Institute), Hajime Nakagawa (Isetan Shinjuku), Takuya Saito (ZOZOTOWN), and Shogo Yanagi (CANDY). While some commented, "We're in an age where realistic clothing sells. It's difficult for fashion brands to sell through existing channels," Yanagi of Candy, a select shop offering a unique selection of high-end fashion items, said, "We think about how to communicate what we think is good. That ultimately influences how we sell it in our store, but we don't have the mindset of buying and selling just what sells." In response to the comment, "More people are spending money on food and lifestyle, and trends and edgy things are becoming less about design and more about 'quality of life,'" Yanagi replied, "Fashion comes first. I'd skip meals because I wanted clothes. I want to share that path I took with young people. I think there's a latent interest in fashion. That's how Japanese fashion was originally developed, and unless we work to increase that, there's no future." The guests applauded.

During the event, a total of 3,500 people attended, including 1,500 at the gallery and installation on the 8th floor and 2,000 at the trade show on the 9th floor. With people's values now undergoing major changes, the key to fashion is "how to turn what you want to communicate (what you want to create) into a business." This is the new standard, and it looks set to be the key to the future.