THIS IS MY PARTNER vol.2
[RELATED EVENTS - Special]

Continuing from last season, we will be conducting the "THIS IS MY PARTNER" project, introducing local production companies and craftsmen who act as indispensable partners in the creation by designers.
Five designers from brands participating in MBFWT 2015-16 A/W will introduce their partners in production. These introductions will be published in the MBFWT official book and on the web site, offering a true look at the productions of craftsmen and the state of factories, scenes that cannot be ordinarily seen.
Also, PR productions that draw out the charm and characteristics of the techniques the partner companies have from a designer's point of view will also make an appearance, so please be sure to have a look at each of the show venues.

*This project is being carried out by the Japan Fashion Week Organization as part of the "Regional Force Utilization Market Acquisition, etc., Support Business SME Sales Force Strengthening Support Model Business," commissioned as a business for production area activation from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Small and Medium Enterprise Agency Business Support Department Startup and New Business Promotion Division.

◆ Participating brands / PR work introduction

In Vol. 2 of This Is My Partner, five new brands will exhibit and distribute their local production companies' PR productions at the show venue (Hikarie Hall). Be sure to visit the venue to see productions that were created with the traditional craftsmanship of local production companies as well as the latest technology that was born through trial and error. *An invitation issued from each brand is required when visiting the shows and exhibitions.

◆ BRANDS *Brands in alphabetical order
	A DEGREE FAHRENHEIT(Designer: Yu Amatsu)
Partner Company	RAKAM Co., Ltd. ( (Thermal bonding) Embroidery manufacturing, Sales / Ichinomiya City, Aichi Prefecture)
PR work	Mukara Embroidery Dress A special dress created entirely with tulle and stitched with “Mukara Embroidery”. Although it is said to be difficult to embroider delicate tulle material, with "Mukara Embroidery" which is soft and strong with thermal bonding, the smooth texture of the tulle is not hindered. This dress is high quality and reproduces the design as is.
Distribution dates / locations	Show: March 17, 2015 / Shibuya Hikarie Hall A (displayed in the foyer before and after the show) Exhibition: March 19-20, 2015 / Shibuya Cultural Center Owada 10th floor Space 1 March 23-29, 2015 / Shibuya Cultural Center Owada 10th floor Space 6
Click here for the article covering RAKAM CO., LTD. introduced by A DEGREE FAHRENHEIT

	IISER LOEN(Designer: Koji Tezuka)
Partner Company	Dione Inc. (Manufacturing of men’s & women’s shoes, Sales / Shinjuku City, Tokyo Prefecture)
PR work	Sneakers with the original knitting of IISER LOEN Sneakers with Jacquard and cable patterns born from knitwear, the DNA of IISER LOEN. It was the idea of Mr. Satoh from partner company Dione to request special staining and ozone processing by the denim processing plant SAAB. Through this, sneakers finished with the denim processing technology that Japan prides itself on along with Japan's own unique cable and Jacquard patterns were born.
Distribution dates / locations	Show: March 16, 2015 / Shibuya Hikarie Hall B (displayed in the foyer before and after the show) Exhibition: April 7-10, 2015 / F.A.showroom
Click here for the article covering "Dione introduced by IISER LOEN"

	JOTARO SAITO(Designer：Jotaro Saito)
Partner Company	MITSUBISHI TABI Co., Ltd. (Manufacturing of cotton, various synthetic tabi socks, Sales / Naruto City, Tokushima Prefecture)
PR work	"Space Tabi" Using the space patterned Obi materials announced at the collection this season, these Tabi socks call up the image of outer space with an added ribbon stripe and star shaped Sagara embroidery patch as accents.
Distribution dates / locations	Show: March 19, 2015 / Shibuya Hikarie Hall A (displayed in the foyer before and after the show) Exhibition: April 17-26, 2015 / KENMA ×JOTARO SAITO ROPPONGI HILLS SHOP
Click here for the article covering "MITSUBISHI TABI CO., LTD. introduced by JOTARO SAITO"

	Motohiro Tanji(Designer：Motohiro Tanji)
Partner Company	Dysun Co., Ltd. (Manufacturing of knitwear, Sales / Date City, Fukushima Prefecture)
PR work	Knit Invitation In order to appeal knitted fabric as a knit brand, these show invitations were produced using knitted fabric symbolizing the season. Each with its own characteristics, knitted fabrics were placed in the areas divided by graphical pattern-switching lines, representing the brand features and technical capabilities of DYSUN.
Distribution dates / locations	Show: March 16, 2015 / Shibuya Hikarie Hall B Exhibition: March 17- 23 / Shibuya Hikarie 8F
Click here for the article covering "DYSUN Co., Ltd. introduced by MOTOHIRO TANJI"

	WHIZ LIMITED(Designer：Hiroaki Shitano)
Partner Company	ISAMI CO., LTD. (General manufacturing of martial arts supplies, Business promotion / Kuki City, Saitama Prefecture)
PR work	Punching bag Ordinarily used as a training tool, this punching bag was designed with a monogram pattern arranging the icon of the brand, the electrocardiogram, transforming a mere tool into a fashion item.
Distribution dates / locations	Show: March 20, 2015 / Shibuya Hikarie Hall A (displayed in the foyer after the show) Exhibition: March 24-27, 2015 / LUMP co.,ltd.
Click here for the article covering "ISAMI CO., LTD. introduced by WHIZ LIMITED"

◆ About "THIS IS MY PARTNER"
Japanese designers have transmitted their unique creations and received high acclaim in fashion cities around the world. Behind their creations are the craftsmen of production areas who support the manufacturing process with their advanced techniques. Designers and craftsmen are linked by deep relationships of trust, and the chemistry between them is perfect when making their creations. "THIS IS MY PARTNER" is a project to introduce craftsmen as indispensable partners of designers in their creations. A total of ten teams of designers, or five teams for each season, will introduce the craftsmen who are their partners in clothes-making using various modes of expression at the collection venues and exhibition venues of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week TOKYO 2015 S/S to be held October 2014 and the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week TOKYO 2015-16 A/W to be held in March 2015.
THIS IS MY PARTNER vol.1

◆ Objective of this project

In recent years, Japanese fashion brands have been highly acclaimed around the world; however, the manufacturers and factories for fabrics, sewing/processing, materials (buttons, lace, ribbons, accessories, etc.) that support these fashion brands and the technical capabilities of the indispensable craftsmen are not known well enough. This project focuses on the craftsmen who are involved in the textile industry. The objective is for the designers participating in the MBFWT to promote the technical capabilities of these talented craftsmen to the world using various expressions.

◆ Activities
(1) Announcement of Production Area PR Creations by MBFWT Participating Brands
MBFWT participating brands (five brands for each season) will not only exhibit or distribute their creations to appeal production area companies at the collection venues (Hikarie Hall) and exhibition venues, but will also transmit these creations through the MBFWT official website and SNS. Please be sure to check out the traditional craftsmanship of the production area companies, as well as creations that were brought to life using the latest technology developed through trial and error.

(2) MBFWT Official Guidebook Special Edition Issue
Five brands participating in this project will each have an interview article with production companies, which are introduced as important partners to manufacturing, posted in the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week TOKYO Official Guidebook distributed at the official venue and the event venues of related events, etc., each season. It will be published as a special edition.

(3) Launch of the “TEXTILE YELLOW PAGES” on the MBFWT Official Website
Gathering various information on production companies within Japan, a "TEXTILE YELLOW PAGES" established on the MBFWT Official Website. This project should be beneficial to a wide group of people, from designers searching for factories to students interested in production companies.