Japan Gets Its Due
By Michiko Toyama
Fall 2005 Style & Design
Tokyo is one of the most carefully watched fashion capitals, so it
seemed strange that it didn't have its own fashion week. That's going to
change now that Japan Fashion Week is due to launch in Tokyo, from Oct.
31 to Nov. 9. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) will
cover half the estimated $1.3 million cost to stage the event; the other
half will come from corporate sponsors. There will be fashion shows by
35 designers—from veterans like Hiroko Koshino to rising star Toshikazu
Iwaya, the brains behind the young Japanese brand Dress Camp—in tents
in front of the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery at Jingu Gaien (Meiji
Shrine outer gardens), as well as textile exhibitions. Says Naoko
Munakata, director of METI's textile and clothing division: "We would
like to make Fashion Week into a sophisticated, fun and enjoyable
event." It looks as if it will become a major destination on the
international fashion schedule.
|
Premium Content