Fashion Week in Tokyo

New York, Milan, Paris, they all have fashion week, but so does Tokyo!  All this week, 37 brands and their designers have been showing their 2009 spring and summer collections on the catwalk at various venues throughout Tokyo.

JFW in TOKYO was set up in 2005 to create a gateway into the world’s fashion industry for up-and-coming designers and to help develop closer ties between the designers, manufacturers, and the retail industry.  While you may not recognize some the brands and designers today, they may well be household names like Issey Miyake, Hanae Mori and Rei Kawakubo (founder of Comme des Garcons) in the next few years.

Some of the 37 participating brands and designers include Mikio Sakabe, Ritsuko Shirahama & BOUTIQUE NICOLE by Kyoko Higa.  Images of the collections can be found at JFW/TYO or at the Yomiuri Online Fashion Special (the words are in Japanese but the pictures transcend language).

If you missed the Tokyo Collection you can still see the Japan Fashion Week Designers’ Exhibition at Yoyogi National Stadium (1st Gymnasium – map) from September 9th through the 11th.

It all seems a little avante garde to me, who is your favorite designer?  Can you picture any of these looks on the streets of your hometown?

Image credit:  Flickr, profile