Announcement of the winning designers of “TOKYO FASHION AWARD 2027”
TOKYO FASHION AWARD organized by Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Japan Fashion Week Organization (JFWO), which aims to support Tokyo-based fashion designers to expand their business and make great strides in the global arena, is now in its 12th year. The award-winning designers of “TOKYO FASHION AWARD 2027” have been selected as follows.
TOKYO FASHION AWARD 2027 designers
Paris Men’s Fashion Week designers
MASAKAZU ARASAWA
(CIOTA Designer and Director)
DAISUKE NAKAJO
(GOOD PEOPLE GOOD STITCHING GOOD PRODUCT Creative Director)
Midorikawa Design Team
KENTA ORIMI
(ORIMI Designer)
Paris Women’s Fashion Week designers
TERUHIRO HASEGAWA & JIANYING “WING” LAI
(GURTWEIN Co-founder and Designer)
SUNGHEE PARK
(OHROHEE Designer)
PELI
(POOLDE Designer)
TAKEMARU ABE
(Takemaru Designer)
< DOMESTIC JUDGES >
< DOMESTIC JUDGES >
Tomoyuki Hibino Hankyu Hanshin Department Stores,Inc. Manager / Buyer, GARAGE D.EDIT, Men’s Fashion Department, Hankyu Men’s Tokyo
Risako Genno Hankyu Hanshin Department Stores,Inc. Buyer
Yuta Umemoto Isetan Mitsukoshi Ltd. Merchandising Group II Isetan Shinjuku Store Men’s Wear Division, Buyer
Shihoko Okuda 株Isetan Mitsukoshi Ltd. Merchandising Group II Isetan Shinjuku Store Ladies Wear Division, Buyer
Toshiya Kumazawa TOKYO BASE CO., LTD. CONZ Director
Shoko Sawanoi Freelance Fashion Business Director
Shinsaku Masuda MADARA Co., Ltd. CEO
Tomomi Asako UNITED ARROWS LTD. Brand Director, UNITED ARROWS Women’s Merchandising Dept.,
Issei Koyama Amanojak. Director
Yoshiro Kawasaki Aout Co.,Ltd. / LITMUS CEO
< OVERSEAS JUDGES >
Nickelson Wooster WOOSTER CONSULTING Founder / Creative Director
Sarah Andelman JUST AN IDEA Founder
Changyong Lee SAMSUNG C&T CORPORATION 10 Corso Como Seoul Menswear Chief Buyer
June Moon SAMSUNG C&T CORPORATION 10 Corso Como Seoul Womenswear Chief Buyer
ABOUT THE “TOKYO FASHION AWARD”
This is a fashion award that selects and honors Tokyo’s most current fashion designers with strong potential to thrive on the global stage, providing support for their expansion overseas. With the aim of sending internationally active designers from Tokyo out into the world, the award offers ongoing business support to brands expected to succeed internationally. As part of the support for the winners, a dedicated showroom, “showroom.tokyo,” is opened during Paris Fashion Week to facilitate business matchmaking with leading buyers from around the world, helping expand their business both in Japan and overseas. We will further strengthen support for the winners by organizing pop-up shops in Paris and Seoul, as well as staging live model presentations within the showroom to amplify both their business and brand messaging. Over the past 11 years, 76 brands have been selected for this award, which continues to attract strong attention from buyers in Japan and abroad.
SELECTION PROCESS
From the many brands that applied, the judges selected the finalists based on the following criteria: (1) using Tokyo as their business base with the potential to become an international brand representing Tokyo in the future; (2) feasibility of overseas expansion in terms of design, number of items, and price range; and (3) a proactive commitment and organizational readiness to develop overseas markets. The finalists then delivered presentations at a judging venue in Tokyo and following rigorous deliberation by the judges, the 8 winning designers were selected.
FURTHER SUPPORT
- November–December 2026: a pop-up shop in Seoul (planned to feature both menswear and womenswear).
- January 2027: an independent showroom for the project will be opened during Paris Men’s Fashion Week in order to match designers with influential buyers. (participation: 4 brands from TFA2027 and 4 brands from TFA2026). During the showroom period, we will also stage a live model presentation and operate a pop-up shop.
- March 2027: an independent showroom for the project will be opened during Paris Women’s Fashion Week in order to match designers with influential buyers. (participation: 4 brands from TFA2027 and 4 brands from TFA2026). During the showroom period, we will also stage a live model presentation and operate a pop-up shop.
- March 2027: an event featuring the award winners will be held at the official venue during Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO 2027 A/W.
*The event will feature a collection presentation in the form of a runway show, installation, or presentation. - June 2027: an independent showroom for the project will be opened during Paris Men’s Fashion Week in order to match designers with influential buyers. (participation: 4 brands from TFA2027 and 4 brands from TFA2026). During the showroom period, we will also stage a live model presentation.
- September 2027: an independent showroom for the project will be opened during Paris Women’s Fashion Week in order to match designers with influential buyers. (participation: 4 brands from TFA2027 and 4 brands from TFA2026). During the showroom period, we will also stage a live model presentation.
*We plan to provide ongoing support for the winning designers’ overseas expansion over four seasons (27A/W, 28S/S, 28A/W, and 29S/S).
*Details such as the schedule and the venues of the events will be announced at a later date.
The 12th “TOKYO FASHION AWARD 2027” designers’ profiles
< Paris Men’s Fashion Week designers >
MASAKAZU ARASAWA (CIOTA Designer and Director)
After gaining approximately 20 years of design experience with department store apparel lines, major select shops, and designer brands, he joined SHIOTA (based in Okayama Prefecture; President: Yuki Nakano) in 2018 and launched the brand “CIOTA.”
Instagram: @ciota_jp
DAISUKE NAKAJO (GOOD PEOPLE GOOD STITCHING GOOD PRODUCT Creative Director)
Born in Osaka, he began his career in the apparel industry, working in sales, buying, direction, and business management, gaining experience across the full process of brand operations. During his time as a buyer, he collaborated with factories across Europe, learning brand development and production frameworks on site. In 2016, he founded MOVERS & SHAKERS Ltd., working as a creative director for fashion and textile brands in Japan and abroad, overseeing brand design, material development, and sewing specifications. In 2021, he joined MARUCHO Inc., a cut-and-sew factory founded in 1954, and in 2022 launched GOOD PEOPLE GOOD STITCHING GOOD PRODUCT (GGG), where he serves as Creative Director.
Instagram: @ggg_tokyo_official
Midorikawa Design Team
Midorikawa creates genre-defying designs that are free from external influences, utilizing traditional Japanese techniques and the skilled craftsmanship of master artisans. The brand also aims to become one that leaves a lasting impression on people and serves as a source of inspiration.
Instagram: @midorikawaofficial
KENTA ORIMI (ORIMI Designer)
The eponymous label ORIMI was born from the intersection of two perspectives: designer Kenta Orimi’s memories of the freedom, exhilaration and distinctive brilliance that defined the Harajuku and Shibuya fashion scenes of the 2000s, where he spent his formative years, and his present-day gaze as an observer of the styles of young people living in contemporary Tokyo.
His creative vision is also deeply informed by his experiences traveling between Tokyo and Europe throughout his teens and twenties. The sense of distance gained through exposure to different cities and cultures has enabled him to view Tokyo’s fashion and youth culture from a broader, more relative perspective, translating them into collections in which nostalgia and contemporaneity intersect.
After gaining experience in launching and operating a fashion retail store in Tokyo, product development, and domestic and international buying, Orimi opened his own select shop, THE ELEPHANT, in Jingumae, Tokyo, in 2018. Alongside running the store, he began creating one-of-a-kind pieces through the deconstruction and hybridization of vintage garments.
As his practice developed, so did his desire to construct a complete collection through original ready-to-wear garments. He founded ORIMI in 2020 and began presenting collections in a showroom format the following year. In 2024, the brand staged its first runway show, followed in 2025 by its second presentation in the closing slot of Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO for the SS26 season.
Instagram: @orimi.official
< Paris Women’s Fashion Week designers >
TERUHIRO HASEGAWA & JIANYING “WING” LAI (GURTWEIN Co-founder and Designer)
Teruhiro Hasegawa and Jianying “Wing” Lai trained together at Central Saint Martins, completing the BA Womenswear and MA Fashion courses; during their studies, Hasegawa received the Chloé Award, Jane Rapley Scholarship and LVMH Graduate Prize. Their careers took them through Alexander McQueen, Lanvin, JW Anderson and Nina Ricci before they assumed design leadership at Givenchy and Burberry as Design Director and Head Designer, working across ready-to-wear, haute couture and special projects for the Met Gala. After these years in Europe, they co-founded GURTWEIN, presenting womenswear that brings European design rigor into dialogue with Japanese craftsmanship.
Instagram: @gurtwein
SUNGHEE PARK (OHROHEE Designer)
Born in Busan, South Korea. Influenced by the avant-garde fashion brands of Japan in the 1990s and 2000s, she decided to study in Japan. She majored in Textile Design at Tama Art University, and after graduation gained experience in production management and as a planning designer at several collection brands. In 2025, she launched OHROHEE.
Instagram: @ohrohee
PELI (POOLDE Designer)
Graduated from Bunka Fashion College. After working as a stylist, founded PAMEO POSE in 2013, stepping down as the designer upon its 10th anniversary. Launched the dog goods brand PEGION in 2018, and in 2024, started POOLDE—a brand that more deeply reflects a personal aesthetic. Rooted in a childhood fascination with the occult, the brand proposes a worldview of “fictional stories that actually happened,” distorting the contours of everyday life by blending it with the extraordinary.
Influenced by music-loving parents, began DJing as a student and served as a resident DJ at the Aoyama nightclub Le Baron de Paris until its closure in 2015. Continuing to cross seamlessly between high-end maisons and the queer scene, these unique creations project a personal background, cultivated by the shifts in music and culture experienced firsthand.
Instagram: @poolde___
TAKEMARU ABE (Takemaru Designer)
After studying garment construction and architectural design and working at an apparel company, Takemaru Abe launched Takemaru together with patternmaker Naho Takai for the Spring/Summer 2024 season.
Instagram: @takemaru_official
Previous Winners of the TOKYO FASHION AWARD
TOKYO FASHION AWARD 2026
MARIKO SUZUKI & NAO YOSHIDA (ANTHEM A) / KIMINORI MORISHITA (kiminorimorishita) / KOTOHA YOKOZAWA (kotohayokozawa) / TSUTOM MATSUFUJI (MATSUFUJI) / KAKAN Design Team (KAKAN) / YUKA KIMURA (mukcyen) / YOHEI OHNO (YOHEI OHNO) / YUSHO KOBAYASHI (yushokobayashi)
TOKYO FASHION AWARD 2025
KENGO BABA (KANEMASA PHIL.) / SHUNTA SAKAI (paratrait) / TATSUYA TAMADA (Tamme) / TOKIO KIMURA (tokio) / KEISUKE NAGAMI (HATRA) / RIVER GARAM JANG & NOBUHIKO KOHAMA (RIV NOBUHIKO) / SATORU SASAKI (SATORU SASAKI) / AKI MURAKAMI (TAN)
TOKYO FASHION AWARD 2024
KAZUHO ARAI & TSUKASA TAKABAYASHI (FAF) / KOTA GUSHIKEN (Kota Gushiken) / SHINYA KOZUKA & SHIMPEI KAJIURA (SHINYAKOZUKA) / SOSHI OTSUKI (SOSHIOTSUKI) / ANNA CHOI (HAENGNAE) / TAKUYA ISAGAWA (mister it.) / MISA TAKEUCHI (PHOTOCOPIEU) / DAISUKE TANAKA (tanakadaisuke)
TOKYO FASHION AWARD 2023
YU KOBAYASHI & YUJI ABE (IRENISA) / KHOKI DESIGN TEAM (KHOKI) / SAYORI TANAKA & AKIRA KUBOSHITA (TANAKA) / BIANCA & YUTO YASHIGE (TENDER PERSON) / AKIKO AOKI (AKIKOAOKI) / EMI FUNAYAMA (FETICO) / YUMIKA OKA (INSCRIRE) / VIVIANO SUE (VIVIANO)
TOKYO FASHION AWARD 2022
RIKUYA HAYASHI (SUGARHILL) / DAIRIKU OKAMOTO (DAIRIKU) / HIROAKI SUEYASU (KIDILL) / NORIO TERADA (YOKE) / ERIKO ISHIDA & AKI SHIMIZU (MALION vintage) / RYOTA MURAKAMI (pillings) / HARUNOBU MURATA (HARUNOBUMURATA) / MARI ODAKA (malamute)
TOKYO FASHION AWARD 2020
TETSUYA DOI (Re:quaL≡) / NAOHIRO FUJISAKI (meanswhile) / YUKI HASHIMOTO (YUKI HASHIMOTO) / IHN CHISUNG (IHNN) / YOHEI OKI & MIRIAM SANZ FERNANDEZ (SHOOP) / FUMIE TANAKA (FUMIE TANAKA)
TOKYO FASHION AWARD 2019
TAKAYUKI CHINO (CINOH) / HIROYUKI FUJITA (JieDa) / YU HANEISHI (ANEI) / NOBUYUKI MATSUI (Nobuyuki Matsui) / YUYA NAKATA (POSTELEGANT) / KOICHI WATANABE & RYUTARO KISHI (RAINMAKER)
TOKYO FASHION AWARD 2018
SHUNSUKE AOKI (BODYSONG.) / SHINICHIRO ISHIBASHI (KUON) / SOICHIRO ITO & YUKI TAKAGI (soe) / KOHEI NISHIMURA (DIGAWEL) / HIDEAKI SHIKAMA (Children of the discordance) / SATOSHI YAMANE & ASAMI YAMANE (F/CE.®)
TOKYO FASHION AWARD 2017
MASAYUKI INO (doublet) / YOHEI OHNO (YOHEI OHNO) / CHIKA KISADA (Chika Kisada) / HITOSHI KOROGI & KEIKO (ROGGYKEI) / TAKUYA MORIKAWA (TAAKK) / SHINPEI YAMAGISHI (BED j.w. FORD)
TOKYO FASHION AWARD 2016
YUI HASHIMOTO (ETHOSENS) / KEITA IKEUCHI & MIHOKO MORI (and wander) / SUSUMU MIURA (AVALONE) / KEN OE (Coohem) / NORIYUKI SHIMIZU (Name.) / HIROAKI SHITANO (WHIZ LIMITED)
TOKYO FASHION AWARD 2015
DETTO K (D.TT.K) / TEPPEI FUJITA (sulvam) / HIROMICHI OCHIAI (FACETASM) / KOJI UDO (FACTOTUM) / YOSHIKAZU YAMAGATA (writtenafterwards/writtenby) / ARASHI YANAGAWA (JOHN LAWRENCE SULLIVAN)
