The Most Head-Turning Collections We Saw at Tokyo Fashion Week FW25
From models clutching Barbie doll boxes at Chika Kisada to HYKE’s collaboration with The North Face.
It’s always Fashion Week somewhere. Just when we thought the Fall/Winter 2025 season was winding down, Tokyo Fashion Week (aka Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO) swooped in to remind us that there’s always room for more drama, style and unpredictability. From the eclectic street style that made us question the gaps in our wardrobes to the head-spinning venues—think a kaleidoscopic retro arcade, a glittering go-kart track and Japan’s oldest amusement park—Tokyo Fashion Week feels like a bewitching experience you can’t get anywhere else.
As for what pumped down the runways? Much like Japan‘s konbini snacks or Lady Gaga‘s Mayhem album, Tokyo‘s designers served up something for every taste. From office-gone-wild fits to sci-fi chic collections, this sprawling, ever-vibrant megalopolis proved once again that it’s where fashion’s wildest dreams come alive.
Below, we reflect on the most head-turning collections from Tokyo Fashion Week FW25 and highlight emerging Japanese designers that you need on your radar.
FETICO
Ko Tsuchiya
Emi Funayama, like every season since launching FETICO in 2020, delivered one of the week’s most compelling shows. With a title like “Queen of Curves” and an impossibly retro dance hall venue opened in 1969 during Japan’s post-war social dance boom, you might expect an overload of sequins, cleavage-spilling necklines and Dancing With The Stars-esque gowns. But, that’s not the FETICO woman—instead she is all about refinement, sophistication and sex appeal. For FW25, Funayama blended ’50s bondage, pin-up and haute couture elements. More specifically, she chose Bettie Page as her muse, drawing inspiration from the Bettie Page: Queen of Curves photo book by Bunny Yeager.
Another major influence came from the haute couture gowns of ’50s designers like Christian Dior, Cristóbal Balenciaga and Pierre Balmain whose creations celebrated the feminine silhouette with tight waists, voluminous skirts and sculptural elegance. At the show, models descended a spiral staircase onto the dance floor below, draped in vintage-inspired silhouettes, often covered head to toe in moody monochromes—hats, gloves, headscarves, tights and long, witchy skirts. Occasional glimpses of collarbones, midriffs and hints of leather bras revealed just enough, while pops of burgundy, pink and khaki added unexpected bursts of color. Fetish-inspired touches like leather chokers, femme fatale, thigh-high boots, bondage harnesses, lace dresses and leopard prints were sprinkled in. It was all very posh with just the right amount of provocative.
KEISUKEYOSHIDA
Keisukeyoshida
KEISUKEYOSHIDA presented its FW25 collection at ROSA Kaikan, an entertainment complex featuring a movie theater, a kaleidoscopically colorful arcade, a bowling alley and more. Open since the late ’60s, its pale pink building, marked by a massive rose logo, stands as an iconic fixture of Ikebukuro. It wasn’t just the coolest venue of the week—it was also a place the designer would retreat to alone during his formative years. As the show kicked off, a haunting blast of white noise replaced the arcade’s typically upbeat, energetic music. Models walked past taiko drumming machines, blinking arcade games, and claw machines filled with gigantic stuffed animals, strutting in pointy stilettos at a sedate pace with an almost zombie-like aura and a dead inside, Benzo-y gaze. The dissonance between the arcade’s chaotic atmosphere and the models’ drained expression felt like an eerie commentary on how we nostalgically cling to the past while dragging our weary selves through the present.
Clad in a mix of eyewear, tightly cinched trench coats, raincoats, pencil skirts, hooded robes and straitjacket-like blouses—some models even lugging backpacks—the looks gave off serious heading-home-after-a-long-day-at-the-office vibes. Glamorous, yet over it.
Many of the ’80s-drenched looks felt like they could’ve been plucked straight from a City Pop music video (a dreamy genre of Japanese pop music that peaked in the ’80s), or, for those unfamiliar with the aforementioned, from the wardrobe department of 1991’s Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead. The models’ defeated movements left you both disoriented and oddly captivated, while also making you want to snag some of those standout looks for your closet.
VIVIANO
Jfwo
VIVIANO’s FW25 collection was whimsical and wacky, aptly titled “Colpo di Fulmine” (Italian for “lightning strike,” symbolizing love at first sight). As the glamorous front row settled in, “I Will Survive” played on a loop, immediately setting the tone for the fun to come. Models hit the suspended runway beneath a massive, rotating disco ball at Tokyo’s Yebisu Garden Place, rocking a series of head-turning and sometimes lunatical looks. The collection comprised of bold fabrics and texture explosions, from sequin dresses and pussy-bow blouses to the grand finale’s majorly oversized, bouquet-like caped dresses. The showstopper appeared as if it were made from an infinite amount of silver lamé, creating a beautiful chaos that billowed and glittered down the runway. Sure, these beyond-voluminous looks weren’t exactly wearable—unless you’re Chappell Roan or Sia. But, they gave off a downright playful, fearless and empowering fashion fantasy aura, making you want to join the party under the glint of the disco ball without a care in the world—even if only briefly.
Chika Kisada
Chika Kisada
From the venue—an industrial warehouse hidden away in Tokyo Bay—and the euphoric club beats that filled the muggy air to the red-light-drenched runway, Chika Kisada‘s sweat-inducing, unapologetically in-your-face FW25 show evoked a chaos-fused rave. Models swiftly stormed the runway with manic, possessed or perhaps inebriated energy — strutting as if they’d just rushed off the vodka-soaked dance floor, with some of them forgetting their pants in the night’s chaos. Kisada, a former ballet dancer, brought her signature tulle into the mix for FW25 along with plenty of bright pink, just in time for cherry blossom season, but this was the antithesis of kawaii or soft. This was Black Swan-meets-Baby Spice on acid, with deconstructed sheer dresses, puffer jackets, lace jumpsuits, fluffy underwear, balloon silhouettes and many a punk-y, star-friendly number.
Barbie made multiple appearances, adding to the madness. Some models walked the runway clutching Barbie dolls in their boxes, while others had the dolls stuffed into their tulle handbags or tangled in their messy, bobbypin-filled hair. Then there was the glistening glam covering the models, intentionally styled to look drenched in sweat, amplifying the rave-like atmosphere—plus, one model sported sakura pink eye contacts. The whole show felt like a sea of ballerinas freeing their hair from their perfect, tight buns after an immaculate Swan Lake performance, letting loose and losing their minds on the dancefloor well into the early hours of the night.
HATRA
Hatra
HATRA‘s FW25 collection, “WALKER,” was a futuristic fever dream, where fashion collided with technology in the most electrifying way. Designed by Keisuke Nagami, the sci-fi, sporty-chic collection embodied what the designer calls “liminal wear”—garments that shift and transform with every movement, creating a trippy, ever-changing effect. The vibe? Dark, otherworldly and hypnotic, with a shadowy soundtrack setting the mood. Models walked the runway in flowing pleats, 3D-structured pants and shimmering sheer dresses, while surreal AI-created prints seemed to come alive with every step.
Accessories took things to another level with models clutching spiky crystals, metallic extraterrestrial sculptures by Kume Keiko and Mars-like orb bags by artist runurunu. In short, HATRA is the brand for boundary pushers with avant-garde designs that transport you to a high-fashion, sci-fi universe.
Pillings
Jfwo
For anyone looking to make a scene on their next Aspen getaway, pack some of Pillings’ cozy, yet impossibly cool knitwear. Since its launch in 2014, Ryota Murakami’s knit-heavy brand has become one of Japan’s most buzzed-about labels, known for its eccentric, boundary-pushing designs. As one of this year’s LVMH Prize semi-finalists, it’s no surprise that Pillings was the hottest ticket of the week. For FW25, Murakami elevated knitwear with complex patterns and mind-bending shapes. Some pieces appeared turned inside out; others featured constricted arms—one almost straitjacket-like, and another with outstretched arms like a mummy. A standout was a pale gray sleeveless maxi dress that looked like an artfully tangled pile of socks—giving major Tilda Swinton on a skiing holiday energy. In short, whoever said knitwear had to be boring clearly hasn’t seen Murakami’s vision.
HYKE
Jun Okada (bnm)
A magnet for Japan’s cool kids since its 2014 launch, HYKE presented it’s FW25 collection at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena—the volleyball venue for the 2020 Summer Olympics. For the showcase, the designer elevated its signature blend of minimalist, vintage-inspired designs with outdoor functionality. For FW25, they delivered earthy tones in warm browns, soft grays and muted greens, with oversized plaid trenches and fluffy cropped vests standing out as cozy yet elevated staples. The show also introduced HYKE’s fourth collaboration with The North Face, staying true to their outdoor-ready aesthetic. As for the accessories? Knit caps, scarves and eyewear from their collab with E5 Eyevan added the perfect finishing touch to the effortlessly cool, sporty vibe.
