Announcement of the winning brands of “TOKYO FASHION AWARD 2026”
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 11th year. The award-winning designers of “TOKYO FASHION AWARD 2026” have been selected as follows.
TOKYO FASHION AWARD 2026 designers
[Paris Men’s Fashion Week designers]
MARIKO SUZUKI & NAO YOSHIDA（ANTHEM A Designer / ANTHEM A Designer）
Instagram: @anthem_a_
Suzuki was born and raised in Tokyo by parents who run a sewing factory. She graduated from the Fashion Design Department of Bunka Gakuen University, winning the President’s Award for her final project. After graduation, Suzuki worked in designing and production for domestic brands such as 08sircus&kiminori morishita, for both men’s and women’s, and established her brand, ANTHEM A, in2021. Currently, in addition to her work on ANTHEM A, she is also in charge of planning and production for YOKE on an external basis. She is also involved in ODM and OEM projects, including uniform design for cosmetic brands and restaurants.
Yoshida was involved in sales, production management, and planning in men’s apparel. He then joined Ooyagi Co., Ltd., managed the apparel OEM business for 13 years. He supported planning and production for approximately 20 men’s fashion brands. He is currently a member of the YOKE team, where he is involved in both planning/production and OEM operations. In addition to his work at YOKE, he also oversees the planning and production of his own brand, ANTHEM A.
KIMINORI MORISHITA（kiminori morishita Designer）
Instagram: @kiminori_morishita_official
Born in Hiroshima Prefecture. He worked as a chief designer for an apparel manufacturer, handling numerous brands. In 2002, he launched the in-house brand “kiminori morishita.” He presented his runway shows on the official schedule of Tokyo Fashion Week, and then at Paris Fashion Week starting in 2007. His collections were sold in approximately 70 stores across 20 countries worldwide. After leaving the company in January 2009, he established a new company, kiminori morishita garments lab inc. He launched his new brand “08sircus” with its first collection for the 2010 S/S season in Paris. He started his women’s collection in Paris for the 2012-13 A/W season. In 2025, he will launch SOÈJU k, the first collaboration line from the D2C fashion brand SOÈJU. The collection will be designed with a gender-neutral perspective, featuring authentic menswear specifications that can also be worn by women.
KOTOHA YOKOZAWA（kotohayokozawa Designer）
Instagram: @kotohayokozawa
Born in Aichi Prefecture in 1991. After graduating from a high school in Nagoya with a focus on fashion, she attended ESMOD Tokyo. She then worked as a designer at an apparel company while also studying at coconogacco. After leaving the company, she enrolled again at ESMOD AMI. In 2015, she launched her brand kotohayokozawa. She was selected for the Tokyo New Designer Fashion Grand Prix in 2018, and received the Mainichi Fashion Grand Prix “Rookie of the Year / Shiseido En-couragement Award” in 2020.
TSUTOM MATSUFUJI（MATSUFUJI Designer）
Instagram: @matsufuji_official
Worked in planning, design, and production management at a collection brand.
Started “MATSUFUJI” from 2020 Autumn/Winter collection.
[Paris Women’s Fashion Week designers]
KAKAN Design Team
Instagram: @kakan.ars
KAKAN is a design team directed by Kakan Kudo.
Born in Tokyo in 1998, Kudo studied Fine Art and Fashion Accessories at Central Saint Martins, where she explored the dialogue between ecosystems, thought, and sensibility. She later moved to Milan, a city where aesthetics are deeply woven into everyday life, to specialize in Fashion Design at Istituto Marangoni. She gained professional experience at Yohji Yamamoto, CHANEL, and POLA ORBIS before launching her own brand KAKAN in 2024. In the same year, she founded FRANCA Inc., which operates the brand.
YUKA KIMURA（mukcyen Designer）
Instagram: @mukcyen
Born in Tokyo in 1998, with roots in Fujian, China, where she spent her early childhood. She settled in Japan during her teenage years and later graduated from Bunka Fashion College. After graduation, she worked for approximately four years at a domestic designer brand, where she was involved in the entire planning and production process. During this time, she developed a keen interest in how clothing resonates with human sensation and emotional states. She went on to establish her own brand, Mukcyen, and presented her debut collection for the Autumn/Winter 2024–25 season. The brand explores the subtle discomfort and boundaries that arise between structure and sensation, body and clothing. Against the backdrop of social media culture, she has expressed her aesthetic sensibility through self-portraiture since her student years—styling, hair and makeup, and AI-generated imagery all serve as mediums through which she communicates her unique world view. This long-standing practice of “sharing aesthetic values” has become a foundational ethos of Mukcyen’s creative direction.
YOHEI OHNO（YOHEI OHNO Designer）
Instagram: @yohei_ohno
After studying at Bunka Fashion College and Nottingham Trent University, he launched his brand “YOHEI OHNO” in 2014. Known for sculptural forms inspired by art, architecture, and industrial design, he won the Tokyo Fashion Award in 2016 and was a finalist for the International Woolmark Prize in 2018. In 2025, he designed the attendant uniforms for the Sumitomo Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai.
YUSHO KOBAYASHI（yushokobayashi Designer）
Instagram: @yushokobayashi
After graduating from Ritsumeikan University, he studied abroad at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. In 2019, he graduated from the BA Fashion Design: Womenswear at the same university and then launched his brand, yushokobayashi, in Tokyo with the Spring/Summer 2020 collection.
JUDGES
Tomoyuki Hibino Hankyu Hanshin Department Stores, Inc. Hankyu Men’s Tokyo store, GARAGE D.EDIT manager
Risako Genno HANKYU HANSHIN DEPARTMENT STORES, INC. International Collection / Women’s & Men’s Buyer
Akira Mukuta Isetan Mitsukoshi Ltd. Merchandising Group 2, ISETAN SHINJUKU store Men`s Div., Men’s Creators (ISETANMENS 6F), Buyer
Kouhei Hashimoto Isetan Mitsukoshi Ltd. Merchandising Group 2, Isetan Shinjuku Store, ReStyle (ladies wear), Buyer
Daiki Nakane TOKYO BASE CO.,LTD. Select div. Director
Shoko Sawanoi TOKYO BASE CO.,LTD. THE TOKYO Women Director
Shinsaku Masuda Madara Co., Ltd. CEO
Tomomi Asako UNITED ARROWS LTD. Woman’s Merchandising Div. United Arrows Dept. UNITED ARROWS Deputy Department Manager / Brand Director
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 10 Corso Como Seoul Menswear Chief Buyer
June Moon 10 Corso Como Seoul Womenswear Chief Buyer
ABOUT THE “TOKYO FASHION AWARD”
This is a fashion prize 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. Starting this year, we will further strengthen support for the winners by organizing pop-up shops in Paris and across Asia, as well as staging live model presentations within the showroom to amplify both their business and brand messaging. Over the past 10 years, 68 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
1. December 2025: a POP-UP SHOP at 10 Corso Como Seoul (planned to feature both menswear and womenswear).
2. January 2026: 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 TFA2026 and up to 4 brands from TFA2025). During the showroom period, we will also stage a live model presentation and operate a POP-UP SHOP.
3. February 2026: 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 TFA2026 and up to 4 brands from TFA2025). During the showroom period, we will also stage a live model presentation and operate a POP-UP SHOP.
4. March 2026: an event of the award winners at official venue will be held during the Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO 2026 A/W.
*The event will feature a collection presentation in the form of a runway show, installation, or presentation.
5. June 2026: 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 TFA2026 and up to 4 brands from TFA2025). During the showroom period, we will also stage a live model presentation and operate a POP-UP SHOP.
6. September 2026: 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 TFA2026 and up to 4 brands from TFA2025). During the showroom period, we will also stage a live model presentation and operate a POP-UP SHOP.
*Details such as the schedule and the venues of the events will be announced at a later date.
Organizer：Tokyo Metropolitan Government / Japan Fashion Week Organization（JFWO）
Sponsor：Japan Airlines Co., Ltd.
Official Media Partner：SENKEN SHIMBUN
Official site of TOKYO FASHION AWARD：tokyo-fashion-award.jp/
Official Instagram of TOKYO FASHION AWARD：@tokyo_fashion_award
Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO 2026 SS Thursday 9/4 Report
Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO 2026 S/S Wednesday 9/3 Report
Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO 2026 SS Tuesday 9/2 Report
