SEASONAL REVIEW 2024 S/S

Doubly daunting is the fashion critic’s task in the era of diversity. Now that the global social zeitgeist has reached Tokyo’s runways, designers have been increasingly freed to give voice to nuanced and individual themes, making the notion of a monolithic “mainstream” a vestige of the past. While this flourishing of perspectives is a welcome and exciting development, it presents challenges to the writer tasked with pinning down any overarching trends come season roundup time.

Nevertheless, a few salient keywords emerged at the latest installment of Tokyo Fashion Week. First, there was an overall impression of refinement. Continuing a shift away from street culture, this season’s runways were largely free of the excessive layering and embellishment once synonymous with Tokyo brands. Many collections stood out for their meticulous editing, shedding extraneous elements to reveal subtly refined designs. Now that the world’s fashions can be perused at our fingertips, it appears that designers’ aesthetic sense has matured by leaps and bounds.

Bucking the tendency toward stereotypical cheerful Spring/Summer color palettes, this season’s runways were awash in muted monochromes. Black, in particular, caught the eye. Designers played with textures and silhouettes, teasing out a surprisingly diverse range of shades and impressions of the color. White also abounded in a conspicuous number of head-to-toe ensembles, capitalizing on the color’s connotations of purity.

Similarly, short and cropped cuts—those usual harbingers of the Spring/Summer season—were in short supply this year, in favor of full ankle-covering dresses, trousers, and maxi-length outerwear. On balance, designers employed slits, cutouts, lace, and sheer fabric to subtly show off some skin, creating an impression of breezy elegance. Overall, the quality of Tokyo Fashion Week’s designs continues to rise, drawing ever closer to global standards.

However, this season’s spotlight shone most brightly on brands making their runway debut. Indeed, very few of last season’s standouts returned to defend their crown. Among the brands featured by Technoculture Oligo Press (TCOP) last season, only two—VEIN and YOHEI OHNO—presented shows this season. Of course, runway shows are not the only measure of a brand. Last season’s fashion week alums have assuredly been actively expressing their worldview off the runway via installations, exhibitions, social media, and other avenues. Yet one couldn’t help but feel a little lonely this season, wondering what might have become of all those familiar faces who previously emerged from the pandemic, seemingly poised to herald a new era for the Tokyo mode.

That said, this season of shows offered plenty of bold experimentation from brands both old and new. We hope you enjoy this latest cross-section of the many diverse strata populating the Tokyo fashion landscape.