Tokyo Fashion Express

The fashion industry is headed in a new direction, one that blends fashion and digital technology. Developments in modern technology have impacted everything from designers' creativity to sales processes in retail shops. Join Marie as she meets with a Japanese designer who expertly manipulates technology in designing clothes. Marie also gets a lesson in retail from a shop that has created a whole new shopping experience. Finally, she reports on the seamless merging of clothes and "wearable devices".

A young designer who garnered attention with a single pair of sneakers and participated in the Paris Collection to launch his career is making his Tokyo runway debut after six years. Shinya Yamaguchi began as a shoe designer, making shoes in his home and selling them online. In 2012, he added clothes to the line, but his creation process still begins with shoes. In a concept he calls "street couture", Yamaguchi hopes to introduce a new type of beauty to men's fashion. In his tenth season as designer, what will he bring to the Tokyo runway?

Masaki Sato, a textile designer in Sagae of Yamagata, has succeeded in producing ultra-fine yarn that is believed to be impossible to replicate. In this episode, we meet the fourth-generation president of a family business taking knit-making to a brand new level, putting Yamagata on the global knit fashion map with the creation of a cultural local hub.

Fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto has broken all convention with his nonconformist collections, influencing the global fashion industry since the 1970s. His creed to "refute mode through mode" continues today, as he broadens his scope of powerful expression. We interview the legendary "rebel" of the mode world, gaining insight into his singular worldview. Backed by collection footage captured since the 1980s, we speak with the man who has captivated the industry and fans around the world for over forty years, looking nowhere near finished.

This past January, Teppei Fujita, designer of the brand "sulvam", was invited to Florence, Italy to show his collection at Pitti Immagine Uomo, the world's largest platform for men's fashion and accessories. Fujita launched his brand in 2014 and quickly began collecting accolades in the industry, opening doors to Fashion Week Tokyo and a showroom in Paris. No one denies the designer is on the rise, and he is only gaining momentum.

Six years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami struck the Tohoku region of Japan on March 11, 2011. In this episode, we meet three residents of Kesennuma, Miyagi, who have poured their efforts into bringing hope and life back to the hard-hit region.

Every season, the fashion world looks to New York, Milan and Paris for the latest in global style trends. In Tokyo, there's a movement around "social media-born" clothes that take photogenic to the next level. In this episode, we dive into this season's global fashion trends before bringing it home to Tokyo. Catch up with the looks taking social media by storm, and see what events and projects are making fashion headlines in the city.

Tokyo is home to jaw-dropping traditional crafts, each with centuries of history. These crafts are now being updated to shine as modern-day fashion items. In this episode, view Tokyo fashion from the lens of tradition and innovation!

Designer Chika Kisada is a fashion designer with a unique background, training in classical ballet from age 3 to 18. Turning her attention from ballet to fashion, she is now taking her designs to the runway for the first time at Fashion Week Tokyo 2017 Autumn/Winter Collection. Learn about the designer's struggles with the past as she prepares her showpieces for the big reveal.

Making his runway debut at the 2017 Autumn/Winter Tokyo Collection is designer Viviano Sue. The Chinese-born, US-raised designer's works are known for their avant-garde vibe, but lately he has been making a transition into more elegant styles, blending influences from east and west. Learn about the designer's feel for Tokyo and what it means to blend cultures, as we join him in the weeks leading up to his Fashion Week Tokyo runway debut.

In 2015, DJ, singer, and fashion icon Mademoiselle Yulia launched her brand "Growing Pains". She has seen and worn all types of fashion in her travels around the world, and her own designs are inspired by music, film, art and subculture. She is holding her first runway show at Fashion Week Tokyo, and we go backstage with the "It Girl" with many job titles to see what she brings to the fashion table that only she can.

Designers Ena Kizawa and Taketo Nishino live by the sea in Shonan and spend their days surfing while running their brand "5-knot". They are participating in the Tokyo Collection for the first time this season. Since launching their brand in the 2013 Autumn/Winter season, their clothes have found homes in boutiques in Paris, Shanghai, Hawaii and California, and they continue to receive acclaim abroad. Nine seasons in, this will be their first fashion show. What inspirations will they bring from their frequent worldwide travels to the Tokyo runway?

Sota Yamaguchi is Tokyo's hippest modern-day fashion director. His latest venture is the "2037 Tokyo Collection", a project looking at fashion twenty years into the future. From the production of original items with leading Tokyo fashion brands to the creation of a virtual shop, he extends his reach to a future world where self-expression takes center-stage.

One of Japan's most prominent jewels is the pearl, made possible due to Japan's rich natural environment and the tireless efforts of professionals in the field. In this episode, we learn of Japan's original pearl culturing techniques and the new genre of pearls now being unveiled.

In the Japanese outdoor apparel scene, a new wave of styles is being born to meet the needs of customers. In this episode, we feature two brands that focus on design concept while paying attention to function. The well-designed clothes are made for nature-lovers, much like the designers themselves, to bond with nature.

Over the years, nail artist Hanayo has worked tirelessly to bring attention to the craft of nail design, collaborating with artists of unexpected genres including traditional Japanese craftwork. Her quest for inspiration continues under the theme "Nail Meets Art". She began drawing as a young child, and majored in art in college. She has been expressing her artistic ambitions since 2013, turning the fingernail into a miniature canvas.

In the fashion industry, one-of-a-kind handmade items are taking their positions in the spotlight. In this episode, meet two designers with a penchant for handmade processes, producing fashion items entirely by hand. The first designer is Okayama-based Tetsuya Yamamoto, whose innovative creations have surpassed fashion expectations. The second is Chihiro Hasunuma, a hand-knit artist making works of astonishing proportions.

In the olden days, Japan-made silk was known for its quality, trading with other countries at very high prices. But the number of silkworm breeders has decreased from its peak in 1929 at 2,210,000, to 368 nationwide. Currently, domestic-made silk makes up less than 1% of the silk in the country. That's where Kimono producer Komei Motoji comes in.

Meet London-based fashion directors Terry Ellis and Keiko Kitamura, a husband-and-wife team helming a lifestyle brand that blends their global sensibilities with the handicrafts of Japan. Their aim is to create "new classics" that will be cherished for generations to come. We join them on a journey around Japan as they look to uncover the beauty of the country's handcrafted works

Have you heard of "ethical fashion"? It's a global movement in fashion that promotes fair trade, use of organic materials, waste and CO2 reduction, and job creation in developing regions around the world. In 2012, Io Takemura founded "Ethical Fashion Japan", an outlet to spread the concept and issues of ethical fashion in her home country of Japan.

In today's digital age, many in fashion place their hopes on crowdfunding as a new business tool to connect designers with consumers. In this episode, we introduce a Japanese crowdfunding platform that specializes in fashion projects, and looks to infuse a breath of fresh air to the often exclusive industry. Meet Masayuki Tomine, the manager of the platform, along with a few campaign creators, participating designers, and finally, the project funders.

From design to sewing, a couturier is responsible for every step in the garment-making process. Meet Toshio Morita, a certified couturier who has devoted his thirty-year career to making clothing samples. In the fashion industry, samples are generally produced by mass-production factories, but Morita's company specializes in the making of this "very first garment". Why does he focus solely on samples? After sharpening his sewing skills as a young man in London, Morita says he discovered the joy – among the challenges - of "giving life" to a design that exists only on paper. Learn what the 70-year-old Morita is up to as he continues to break new ground in the world of sample-making.

It's the 2017 Autumn/Winter Trend Forecast Special!

Think of a beloved item of clothing, the one you hope to wear for years to come. There's no way to avoid natural wear-and-tear, however, when a garment is donned repeatedly. That's where clothes restoration expert Wataru Ikemori comes in.

Designer Kozaburo Akasaka, a recent winner of the Special Prize in the highly-coveted LVMH Prize Competition, is known as a "tried-and-true mode specialist". Ryohei Kawanishi on the other hand, is a business-minded-yet-artistic "rebel of mode". The friends are based in New York City, but their approach to fashion and their expression styles run on opposite ends of the spectrum. They do share a similar path in that they both graduated from London's prestigious Central Saint Martins and continued onto Parsons Graduate School in New York. How have they been able to achieve international success? We sit down with the designers as they share their ten-plus years of industry knowledge, gained from their colorful experiences abroad.

CHANU made his Tokyo Collection debut while still a fashion student, unveiling two impressive collections. This is his third season at the Collection and his first after graduation. South Korean-born CHANU launched his brand in 2016 and debuted at the 2017 Spring/Summer Collection that same year. He aims to make clothes that does away with labels such as "men's", "women's", "street", "mode", "athletic", and "formal". Representing his vision is the zipper, which brings together two separate elements.

Up-and-coming designer Akiko Aoki is the talk of the town as the "future of Tokyo fashion". She debuted at the Tokyo Collection as part of "Tokyo New Age", a project launched in 2014 by designers Yoshikazu Yamagata and Mikio Sakabe to discover and nurture high-potential design candidates. Her debut collection was a reflection on her fifteen years at a strict Catholic school, featuring the school uniform as the motif for her "restricted schoolgirl". Since her debut, Aoki's focus has rested firmly on the inner life and body image of the multifaceted modern woman, expressed in all elements of girly, feminine and sexy.

Risa Aizawa is the leader of a popular five-girl idol group, Dempagumi.inc. She is now making her debut as fashion designer at the Fashion Week Tokyo 2018 Spring/Summer.

Designer Eiichiro Nakai honed his techniques at a top brand overseas, and is now turning heads with chic silhouettes in his home country of Japan. His goal? To propel women into an extraordinary world of dresses and jackets. He looks to bring "formal" back to a Tokyo fashion scene saturated with casual.

About 150 years ago, Japan was a country filled with aizome, or indigo blue. Visitors from abroad reveled in its ubiquity, calling the color "Japan Blue". During the Edo Period, about 80% of the indigo was Tokushima-made Awa-Ai, known for its delicate hues and color fastness. The all-natural aizome is experiencing decline in modern day, and local craftspeople and fashion experts have come together to ensure the traditional craft is kept alive.