{"id":20922,"date":"2025-08-29T11:56:21","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T02:56:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rakutenfashionweektokyo.com\/en\/?post_type=interview&p=20922"},"modified":"2025-08-29T13:17:58","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T04:17:58","slug":"takenori-osawa_takuro-ogasawara_26ss","status":"publish","type":"interview","link":"https:\/\/rakutenfashionweektokyo.com\/en\/topics\/interview\/takenori-osawa_takuro-ogasawara_26ss\/","title":{"rendered":"Pre-Fashion Week Interview: Takenori Osawa (MIDWEST) x Takuro Ogasawara (Senken Newspaper)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Takuro Ogasawara, one of Japan\u2019s most prominent fashion journalists, travels the globe attending fashion weeks worldwide. Takenori Osawa, known for his keen eye for style, leads the legendary select shop MIDWEST, which showcases domestic brands at various events and has cultivated a devoted following. Continuing the conversation from the 25A\/W season, we ask these fashion legends to reflect on the previous season while looking ahead to the brands and industry developments they will be watching this season.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back on the shows you attended during Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO 2025 A\/W, what were your honest impressions?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Osawa:<\/strong> Tokyo\u2019s Fashion Week has a lot of energy. I think it\u2019s unrivaled right now in terms of being the fashion week to showcase the most new designers season after season. You occasionally see new brands in Paris, but hardly ever in Milan, and in London, too, fewer young designers are getting their start than before. In that sense, the scene in Tokyo feels fresh. On the other hand, there is a question about how many of these new brands are working at a level of quality that is up to par. Still, it\u2019s clear that Fashion Week as a whole is generating momentum, and there\u2019s excitement about what will emerge. I wonder why fewer new brands are showing in London these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ogasawara:<\/strong> This is an issue that extends to the fashion industry at large, but in general, fewer young designers are launching their own brands. It\u2019s become more common to join a big company and make a living and a career as a member of a creative team. For instance, Duran Lantink, a rising designer in Paris whom I personally had high hopes for, joined Gaultier this April as its new creative director. I\u2019m not sure if he plans to continue his own brand as well, but you do see a growing trend of designers who spend some years as creative directors for another company, receive a huge bonus when they resign, and then walk away from their careers as designers. This is a problem faced by the fashion world today on a global scale. In Japan, however, there are many designers who launch their own brands after gaining experience at a larger company. Including these designers, there are more people in Japan who want to build a business out of their own brands than in other countries, which is very promising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What did you think of the three brands you were most excited about in the lead-up to last season?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ogasawara:<\/strong> The three I mentioned were Chika Kisada<\/a><\/strong>, yoshiokubo<\/a><\/strong>, and TELMA<\/a><\/strong>. With Chika Kisada<\/a><\/strong>, I felt a consistent leveling up in terms of creation, but I\u2019d like to see more of her distinctive rebellious spirit. I was excited to see what yoshiokubo<\/a><\/strong> would have for us after having gone all the way to Everest, but the show wasn\u2019t quite what I expected (laughs). At TELMA<\/a><\/strong>, the quality really stood out, but if I were to be critical, I\u2019d say I felt some disconnect between their approach to making and showing dresses and the contemporary image of the woman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Chika<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFrom left to right: Chika Kisada\u3001yoshiokubo\u3001TELMA\n\n\n\n
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Osawa:<\/strong> For me, they were FETICO<\/a><\/strong>, VIVIANO<\/a><\/strong>, and Tamme. With FETICO<\/a><\/strong>, which will show in the \u201cby R\u201d program for the 26S\/S season, the past collection didn\u2019t feel as inventive to me personally. However, the brand is becoming increasingly popular, and I have a feeling that there will be a shift toward something new in the next season, so I\u2019m continuing to keep a close eye on them. The VIVIANO<\/a><\/strong> show remained true to the brand\u2019s essence, and their menswear line is doing well in stores; it was a distilled presentation of clothes you\u2019d want to wear, regardless of gender, and I mean that in a positive sense. Tamme<\/a><\/strong> is a brand that most effectively communicates in the runway show format, so I hope they\u2019ll keep showing this way. Among other brands I saw last season, RIV NOBUHIKO<\/a><\/strong> was another that I hope will do a show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFrom left to right: FETICO\u3001VIVIANO\u3001Tamme\u3001RIV NOBUHIKO\n\n\n\n
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Ogasawara:<\/strong> Tamme<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s show was interesting, but I think their creative vision needs more edge. They have a good aesthetic sense, but it would be better if they thought bigger. Unfortunately, it seems they won\u2019t have a runway show this time, but it\u2019s precisely brands like Tamme<\/a><\/strong> that I hope will present not only the clothes themselves but a deeper perspective into our present moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For FETICO<\/a><\/strong> and Chika Kisada<\/a><\/strong>, the challenge will be whether they can surpass the beauty of Ala\u00efa, or, alternatively, propose an entirely new balance between the body and the garment. That\u2019s what it will take for them to become globally relevant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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