Rakuten Fashion Week 26SS
From September 1 to 6, the next anniversary fashion week Rakuten Fashion Week SS26 was held in Tokyo. And I managed to get official registration as a press representative for this event.
Registration itself does not guarantee invitations to all shows; each brand sends these invitations at its own discretion. And I, as a newcomer to Japanese fashion week, managed to get invitations to five different shows, the Tranoi Tokyo exhibition, and collect official press releases of all shows for all days. This is much more than I had in March, when I visited fashion week for the first time. Therefore, having accumulated material and experience, I am going to write a series of articles about this interesting event.
Global Fashion Collective 26SS
On Tuesday, September 2, 2025, the official partner show of Vancouver, Canada-based Global Fashion Collective at Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO 2026 SS was held at Shibuya Hikarie Hall. Nine brands from Japan, Korea, Mexico, Taiwan and Malaysia came together and presented a unique collection.
Founded in October 2017, GFC holds collective fashion shows each season at five major fashion weeks around the world: New York, Paris, Milan, London and Tokyo, supporting designers in their global expansion and exploration of new markets.
There were two shows in total.
The show featured the following brands:
presented a collection at Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo showcasing a relaxed feel with a touch of luxury. The collection featured light checked shirt dresses, sharp utility jackets paired with sporty minis, and structured denim maxi dresses accessorized with classic accessories. Balancing practicality with glamour, the collection offered a versatile wardrobe for modern lifestyles. With soft layering, clean silhouettes, and muted colors, ALLFORYOU redefined casual sophistication.
TANGTSUNGCHIEN's new women's collection, "Soft Armors," unveiled at RFWT, explores "protection through softness." Gathered satin and layered lace create structured, voluminous silhouettes. The designs express femininity as strength, not fragility. Each piece functions as a silent, wearable suit of armor. The collection is stripped down to focus on form, texture, and emotional presence.
TWMultiverse debuted at RFWT and is crafted entirely from recycled denim and deadstock fabrics. Each piece is handcrafted by local Taiwanese tailors and women from disadvantaged backgrounds. Inspired by Taiwanese temple culture and indigenous traditions, the collection explores themes of duality: "nature and city," "past and future," and "reality and dream." The "seams of time" created by the use of two types of fabrics and diverse techniques symbolize the movement between these worlds. The designs reflect Taiwan's multilayered cultural history and ask the question, "What defines Taiwanese fashion today?" Story Wear offers an answer by creating garments that encourage introspection, identity, and personal expression.
WOOLEEX presented their SS26 collection "Meet the Met" at Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo (RFWT). Taking inspiration from the Met Gala, known for its glamorous and bold performances, every look was designed as a custom-made statement piece that celebrates individuality and excess.
For menswear, sequins, pearl studs and bold combinations of different materials combine playfulness with architectural beauty, while for women, layered textures and lace create silhouettes that are both glamorous and rebellious.
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NO NAME held a special show at Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo (RFWT) to celebrate the brand's 10th anniversary. In addition to its new collection, the brand reimagined iconic pieces from its archives. A vibrant blend of high-impact prints, cyberpunk attitude, and maximalist silhouettes lit up the runway. Vibrant colors like electric pink and emerald green collided with structured outerwear, bold cutouts, and iconic motifs rooted in underground subculture, elevating each look into a visual statement of rebellion, fantasy, and self-construction. Through this collection, NO NAME once again demonstrated its position at the forefront of avant-garde street couture.
presented her SS26 collection "KLANGKANTE" at Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo. Inspired by composer Helmut Lachenmann's experimental piece "Pression," the collection transforms sound into form, showcasing sharp tailoring, otherworldly silhouettes, and sculptural layering using sustainable materials.
Using a monochrome palette of black, white, and silver, accented with neon green, Chang expresses the dissonance created by sonic energy . Through KLANGKANTE, Chang fuses avant-garde design with sustainability, elevating abstract emotions into wearable art.
made a strong presence at Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo, showcasing their latest vision, fusing a dark, avant-garde aesthetic with streetwear and genderless silhouettes. The collection reflects the brand's rebellious spirit and influences from Berlin's Neo-Bauhaus, exuding glamorous details and underground energy .
Known for fusing sustainability with technological innovation , SVLIM operates on a process-driven, value-driven 360º model , going beyond mere fashion to define a cult luxury lifestyle with a future-forward, sustainable edge .
CHARINYEH's SS26 collection, "The Healing Lineage," debuted at Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo and combines ancient Eastern philosophy with modern wellness. Inspired by traditional Chinese medicine, the collection translates concepts like "balance of chi" and "meridian flow" into sculptural silhouettes and embossed textures reminiscent of cupping therapy .
Natural fibers and a color palette based on the five elements underpin the collection from both a functional and emotional perspective. Responding to the fatigue of modern urban life, each piece becomes a quiet ritual to wear, the clothing itself a form of healing.
Following the shows, young designer Ayaka Osita gave an extended interview to the press. Ayaka was born in Gifu Prefecture in 2002. After winning the 96th Soen Award, she began working as a designer while still a university student and has participated in the creation of dresses for the jewelry brand MIKIMOTO, Tokyo Girls Collection, and costumes for films.
The theme of her current collection is “Metamorphosis.” Using fantastical details such as flowers sprouting from the depths of peeling fabric, wings and dorsal fins peeking out from under the surface, the collection expresses the moment of the release of hidden impulses.
Ayaka Osita commented:
The theme of this collection is “Metamorphosis.” Do we suppress the spreading wings, the swelling buds, the raging waves of emotion, the impulses and hopes that overwhelm us, allowing them to smolder inside?
This collection expresses the moment of transformation and liberation when this impulse finally overflows and breaks out.
■Thoughts on this collection and show
The theme of this collection is "Metamorphosis." Wings that are beginning to spread, budding buds, waves of boiling emotions, overflowing impulses and hopes that are suppressed and swallowed down, smoldering deep inside. This collection expresses the moment of transformation and liberation when such impulses finally overflow and burst.
■What are the special features of this show?
In order to express details that fit the theme, all 15 figures have details like flowers growing out of the gaps in the torn fabric, or wing-like details growing out of the back, and other such slightly inhuman things bursting out, or breaking through a shell.
■What is your source of inspiration for clothing and design?
While clothing is a tool for self-expression, it can also be used to hide one's true self. Even in today's diverse world, there are still many people who hide their true selves for various reasons, driven by fear and anxiety, wondering whether their true selves will be accepted or despised. However, what kind people who feel such fear and anxiety hide deep in their hearts must surely be beautiful. This message urges us to be more like living beings and to be more emotional.
■Please tell us if there were any challenges or difficulties you faced in designing this piece.
I normally love detailed handwork and enjoy the struggles that come with it, but I had to attach hundreds of tiny sequins to all 15 dolls, so that was a struggle. Also, when you choose the theme of something invisible, you have to share that with the audience, so in terms of how to incorporate this theme into the clothes, I spent a lot of time on the design side, going through a process of trial and error.
■What's next?
Until now I've been working as a designer, but up until now I've mostly had clients and created things that met their requests, without worrying much about expressing my own originality. However, this time I've created something that really shows my individuality for the first time in a while, and I've realized that this is what I'm good at, and I want to continue doing this, so I hope I can continue interacting with people, continue working on creating one thing, and have the opportunity to present my own original items.
This article is based on a press release provided by Yuko Yamada
GFC Public Relations & Media Coordinator / Designer Coordinator
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