Spotlight: Tokyo Fashion Week kicks off with China's SHUSHU/TONG shining

by Jon Day

Tokyo, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo fashion Week kicked off Monday with the biannual fashion bonanza scheduled to showcase some of the best in up-and-coming and well-established homegrown talent, as well as a selection of fashion-forward compendiums from Japan's neighboring influencers.

With almost as much ritz and glitz as those held in the fashion capitals of Paris, Milan, London and New York, Amazon fashion Week Tokyo, as it's officially called, started the Week-long proceedings with Takeshi Kitazawa sending his models not quite sashaying down the runway.

Kitazawa's 2019 A/W ready-to-wear ensembles for his brand DRESSEDUNDRESSED, marked the label's 10th anniversary, with the now solo designer building on the brand's success since his first runway show at the 2012 Mercedes-Benz fashion Week in Tokyo.

The collection, showcased by way of models interacting in a highly, if not overly choreographed "interrogation room" rather than walking down a typical runway, boasted uncompromising sharp, tailored and elegant lines, finished with layered auxiliary delights to add a dash of daring, allure and effortlessly bespoke silhouettes with a cheeky eighties twist.

Clearly pushing the unorthodox yet creative envelope further than in collections past, with high-wasted pants and cropped jackets and sheer shirts exposing more flesh than perhaps deemed reasonable for wintry climes, Kitazawa's sharply engineered black leather ode to the Mackintosh was, perhaps, this innovative designer's signature full stop at the end of an eclectic collection.

Joining Kitazawa will be around 50 other designers and brands presenting their collections at Shibuya's Hikarie complex and at the upscale Omotesando Hills locale in the Week ahead, where they will be joined by manufacturers, buyers, apparel retailers, Tokyo's front-row fashion elite and, a healthy contingent of fashionistas, looking to boost their social media profiles with a picture-perfect snap.

Hosted by the Japan fashion Week Organization (JFW Organization), this season's slogan revolves around the concepts of fashion Week here being a gateway for success in the world for new designers, a starting point for cooperation and a platform to make Japan's capital more fashionable, enjoyable and accessible.

Along with Japanese staples like, ANREALAGE, Hiroko Koshino, HYKE and Tae Ashida, to name but a few, Shanghai-based SHUSHU/TONG is creating quite a buzz this season, with the "bold feminine" stylings of duo lei Liushu and Jiang Yutong, both graduates from Womenswear MA at the esteemed London College of fashion, set to hit the runway on Tuesday.

Described as "Generation Z" designers and schooled under Simone Rocha and Gareth Pugh, the pair started SHUSHU/TONG in 2015 with a mission to inspire "to create collections that are special yet accessible," to incorporate youth and folly into designs without "sacrificing femininity," according to a recent press release.

With a focus on feminine style with a twist, designers Lei Liushu and Jiang Yutong said they aim to keep pushing the concept of boundaries between girl and woman, while "redefining femininity with a modern cool attitude."

Tokyo will, henceforth, be treated to a masterclass in femininity with a twist, and Tuesday's show promises to deliver a perfect medley of unabashedly feminine details designed for women who dare to express themselves.

The Chinese duo will be showcasing feminine ruffles and bowknots that are devoid of "primness" and espouse the virtues of an attitude that is as cool as it is relaxed.

"Expect unique silhouettes and time-honored tailoring techniques that have been developed in-house," SHUSHU/TONG's press release states.

With physical stores located in the fashion meccas of Dover Street Market London, LaneCrawford in Hong Kong's Harbour City and grapevine by k3 aoyama in Tokyo's fashion-forward Aoyama district, SHUSHU/TONG will undoubtedly be one of fashion Week's highlights here with the brand fast becoming an increasingly heavy hitter on fashion's global stage.