Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo Fall/Winter 2025 was held over six days from Monday, March 17 to Saturday, March 22. This season, a total of 37 brands from both Japan and abroad participated, presenting bold and ambitious collections that reflected the current state of Tokyo’s ever-diversifying fashion scene. Under the annual theme of “FASHION FANFARE” for 2025, the event continued its efforts to merge Tokyo’s unique fashion culture with a global perspective.
In this article, OSF highlights selected collections from participating designers, offering a curated look at some of the standout presentations from the week.
1. pillings
On the opening day of Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo, pillings, the brand led by designer Ryota Murakami, unveiled its latest collection at Shinagawa Intercity Hall. Born in Osaka in 1988, Murakami graduated from coconogacco before launching his namesake brand RYOTAMURAKAMI, and has been consistently showcasing collections at Tokyo Fashion Week since Spring/Summer 2016. A recipient of the Tokyo Fashion Award in 2021 and a semi-finalist for the LVMH Prize in 2025, Murakami is recognized as one of the most talented designers of his generation.
Marking its 11th collection, pillings presented a deeply introspective theme titled “housing complex.” The collection reassembled fragments of memories, emotions, and imagination accumulated over the years into a single, cohesive “communal structure.” With quiet strength and sincerity, the brand posed a thoughtful question: what is the true essence of universality in fashion?
Distortion, Wrinkles, Inside Out — The Warmth Carried by Noise
As the show began, models walked slowly across a wooden floor illuminated with soft, warm lighting—each step measured, as if grounding themselves in the moment. The runway itself embodied the sentiment expressed in the collection notes: “I want to create something like a hazy, distant hometown.” That atmosphere gently pulled the audience into a quiet journey through memory.
This season, pillings deliberately embraced elements of distortion and reversal—a visible acceptance of inner imperfections. The opening look featured a felted knit jacket paired with a voluminous, asymmetrical skirt. From underneath the hem, wrinkled satin peeked through, evoking a tactile layering of soft memories, as if flipping through pages from the past—an intimate return to one’s origins.
Nordic-patterned knits and pants appeared with purposefully layered wrinkles and linings turned outward, inviting the viewer to reconsider the very act of dressing. In one standout look, a black knit was adorned with white fabric in a collage-like arrangement, subtly evoking the warmth of human touch and traces of everyday life.
pillings reminded us that clothing is not only a visual medium—but also an emotional one, capable of carrying memory, tenderness, and time.
The Act of Seeking Universality
For pillings, the idea of “classic” is not a fixed or rigid style—it is something that is constantly in flux, quietly shifting and evolving. Even in traditional silhouettes like sweaters or skirts, there’s always a deliberate disruption woven into the design—an intentional sense of unease that gives the garments their unique rhythm and identity.
This season also welcomed contemporary dancer Un Yamada, whose presence brought an added dimension of breath-infused expression to the models’ posture and movements. The way they stood and walked—calm yet deeply rooted—mirrored the very essence of how pillings approaches fashion: with quiet strength, sensitivity, and unwavering authenticity.
The Future of “pillings” as a Housing Complex
With a philosophy rooted in cherishing the craft of making and expressing the narratives behind creation, pillings has built its collections around hand-knit garments in collaboration with Japanese artisans. Designer, craftsperson, viewer, and the garments of the past—all exist as part of a shared housing complex, resonating with one another. Through these layered memories and emotions, the brand’s notion of universality emerges—quietly, yet profoundly.
Like stitching together fragments of memory and feeling, the pieces hold a gentle softness while maintaining a firm inner core—asserting their presence with quiet strength. As we look ahead to the brand’s 12th collection, one can only wonder: what kind of landscape will unfold next? The door to that world is just beginning to open—and the anticipation is quietly stirring.
2. VIVIANO
A thrill like lightning strikes the heart the moment one puts it on—such fleeting yet passionate emotions are precisely what VIVIANO distilled into garments for its Fall/Winter 2025 collection. Since 2016, VIVIANO has championed a romantic style defined by voluminous tulle—now a hallmark of the brand—anchored in the concept of “a subtle chaos flickering between flowers of order.” Yet, this sweetness is never superficial; it is imbued with a quiet strength and an unmistakable sense of refinement.
At the helm is designer Viviano Sue, who grew up between China and the U.S. and graduated from Bunka Fashion Graduate University in 2014. After launching his namesake label Viviano Sue, he rebranded to simply VIVIANO in Fall/Winter 2020. His fearless creativity and emotional storytelling have earned widespread recognition, including the Tokyo Fashion Award in 2022.
Titled “Colpo di Fulmine”—Italian for “love at first sight”—this season’s show was Viviano’s purest expression of instinct and impulse. It was not only a declaration of passion but also a return to the dreamlike origins of fashion itself.
A Playful Explosion of Textiles and Silhouettes
The show opened with a quietly elegant mini jacket in classic tweed, setting a refined tone. But soon after, the runway bloomed into a vibrant display of VIVIANO’s signature decorative and playful universe—featuring vintage-inspired lace, metallic silver, soft florals, polka dots, tulle, quilting, and bold balloon silhouettes.
One standout look paired a polka-dot satin blouse with a voluminous black skirt boasting three-dimensional texture, blending classical elegance with avant-garde edge. Another featured a blazer adorned with sculptural black tulle, worn over flowing turquoise pants—an outfit that gently blurred gender lines while embracing romantic form. The styling was equally evocative: models wore dot-patterned face and head art, and floral bud-like headpieces that deepened the dreamlike, otherworldly aesthetic of the collection.
The Evolution of Ruffles and Tulle, with Sporty Accents
This season, VIVIANO pushed its signature ruffles and tulle into bolder territory, at times incorporating elements that echoed the brand’s menswear line. A standout example was a brown sequin dress—sophisticated at first glance, yet alive with passion as its flowing silhouette shimmered with every movement.
Adding unexpected contrast, sporty socks, sunglasses, and stiletto heels all featured motifs inspired by western boots, infusing the collection’s inherent sweetness with a distinct sense of strength and attitude.
Other standout looks included a pairing of a casual sweatshirt with a delicate tulle skirt, and a richly textured floral long coat styled with wide-leg trousers—each blurring the boundaries between dressy and casual, and celebrating the freedom to wear fashion on one’s own terms.
A notable addition this season was the use of brown, introduced for the first time in the brand’s color palette. Departing from its usual focus on pastels and monochrome tones, the earthy hue brought a sense of calm and depth, revealing a new, more grounded dimension of VIVIANO’s evolving identity.
A Dream in Full Bloom — The Finale of VIVIANO
The show reached its emotional peak with three couture looks that encapsulated the very essence of VIVIANO’s dream. A shimmering silver gown of monumental scale, a dome-shaped dress covered in delicate pink florals, and a white gown adorned with bold black polka dots—each piece felt like a tangible manifestation of fantasy.
These final looks stirred the hearts of the audience, rekindling that exhilarating feeling of falling in love with fashion—a reminder of why we dream, and why we dress.
More than calculated precision, it was the raw, instinctive emotion that drove the creation of each look—an outpouring of passion that translated directly into design. These pieces awakened a sense of thrill hidden in everyday dressing, reminding us of the pure joy of wearing clothes.
This was a collection that made one believe—wholeheartedly—that fashion can, and should, be this free.
3. TAE ASHIDA
On March 18, TAE ASHIDA unveiled its Fall/Winter 2025–26 collection at Otemachi Mitsui Hall in Tokyo. Centered around the theme “Eternal Threads – Weaving the Past and Future,” the collection wove together Tae Ashida’s signature intellectual elegance with elements of technology and craftsmanship, presenting a refined, modern vision.
Since debuting her namesake brand in 1991, Tae Ashida has remained steadfast in her aesthetic of “elegant & practical” design. With a commitment to high-quality materials and silhouettes imbued with urban sophistication, her collections have consistently offered versatile looks that transition seamlessly from everyday life to formal occasions. Even as times change, her designs stay grounded in a sense of real, enduring beauty.
This season’s show was held in a glamorous atmosphere, with nearly 30 ambassadors from various countries, celebrities, actors, and influencers gracing the front row. The runway featured around 50 looks—both womenswear and menswear—worn by prominent models including Kiko Arai, Miki Ehara, and Akitsugu Tominaga, the son of iconic model Ai Tominaga, all of whom represented the spirit of today’s fashion scene.
Where Weight Meets Lightness — A Fall/Winter Dialogue
The show opened with a strikingly futuristic touch—a massive LED screen at the back of the runway flashing geometric patterns and alphanumeric codes, setting the stage for a vision both modern and precise. The first look featured a rich burgundy turtleneck knit layered with a bronze lamé lace skirt and a boldly patterned coat that resembled a piece of art. The deep color palette and mixed textures evoked the warmth and quiet strength of the autumn-winter season.
What followed was a seamless interplay of femininity and sharpness, a signature of Tae Ashida’s design language. A graphic print dress paired with a brown leather jacket, an abstractly patterned dress cinched with a wide belt—each look carefully balanced softness with structure. Through the fluid motion of delicate fabrics and the rigor of architectural lines, the collection vividly portrayed the duality of the modern woman: graceful and resilient.
This season’s key colors featured timeless autumn-winter shades such as deep green, burgundy, and canary yellow. Accents of lime green and fuchsia pink were woven in to create vibrant contrasts, showcasing Tae Ashida’s signature intellectual playfulness—a fusion of classic sensibility and modern flair.
Throughout the collection, a variety of textures—including leather, wool, sheer fabrics, and satin—were layered with precision. Yet despite the diversity in materials, the overall tone remained harmonious, highlighting the designer’s exceptional sense of balance and refined aesthetic control.
Function and Structure — Intent Embodied in Form
One of the most striking aspects of the collection was the seamless blend of structure and functionality, as seen in sharply tailored jackets and military-inspired sets featuring cinched waist belts. A standout piece—a coat styled like an oversized checked stole—swayed gracefully with every step, its flowing drape and lively fringe creating the illusion of wearing air itself.
Equally compelling was an asymmetrical look that fused a dress and jacket into a one-shoulder silhouette. This bold construction gave shape to the contradictions and resolve that reside within women, turning inner complexity into wearable expression.
In the middle of the collection, attention turned to fluid transitions of color—gradient pants shifting beautifully from brown to turquoise, and from pink to orange—as well as blouses adorned with geometric prints reminiscent of art pieces.
Despite the bold presence of these prints, the styling remained deliberately minimal. This commitment to the aesthetics of subtraction preserved a sense of refinement throughout, showcasing Tae Ashida’s mastery in balancing statement elements with understated elegance.
A Couture-Infused Finale
In the finale, a series of dresses adorned with sequin embroidery and metallic fabrics took the stage. Their light-reflecting silhouettes shimmered like ripples on the water, beautifully synchronizing with the LED-lit runway. Notably, the body-conscious evening dress crafted from tulle and the green dress layered with lace and sequins embodied a sense of modern elegance that blurred the lines between real clothes and dress-up wear.
This season, Tae Ashida once again reaffirmed her unwavering belief that women are the protagonists. While keenly attuned to the spirit of the times, she remained firmly rooted in her own design philosophy—offering a vision of elegance that is both poised and unshakable.
The collection was a refined expression of intelligence that bridges past, present, and future—an empowering tribute to the modern woman who lives with grace and strength. It was, in every sense, a sartorial salute to those who embody the spirit of “graceful resilience.”
4. tiit tokyo
On March 19, tiit tokyo unveiled its Fall/Winter 2025 collection under the theme “Sparkle.” The collection was inspired by the Danish-French film When Animals Dream, which tells the poignant story of a girl in a Nordic fishing village who transforms into a beast, exploring themes of tragic love and inner turmoil.
Throughout the collection, a delicate balance of light and shadow was thoughtfully incorporated, expressing a unique beauty born from the interplay of wild instincts and pure love, as well as serenity and madness.
Sparkle Born Between Darkness and Light
Running through the entire show was a shimmer of hope, like a single beam of moonlight breaking through the night. A slightly formal aesthetic, built with gray-toned jackets and wide-leg trousers, was softened by accents of ice gray, pale beige, glimmering lamé embroidery, and sheer fabrics, creating a delicate balance between restraint and fantasy.
Elsewhere, faux fur coats evoked a primal, animalistic presence, while tulle and lace dresses quietly narrated tales of innocence and fragility. Gloves slipping off the shoulder and the flowing drapes that suggested open space captured the shifting emotions of a girl caught between opposing worlds, portrayed with exquisite subtlety.
A Color Palette and Embellishment That Reflect Moonlight
This season, tiit tokyo took its signature “skin-conscious” aesthetic to a deeper, more nuanced level. Rather than emphasizing exposure, the focus was on the emotional resonance conveyed through skin. Sheer, nude-toned fabrics, layered knits and satin, elongated sleeves, and neck coverings all expressed the idea that “how we reveal skin reflects the wavering of the heart.”
The color palette was rooted in deep, atmospheric tones—midnight blue, black, and gray—mirroring the darkness of night as portrayed in the film that inspired the collection. These shades evoked the quiet deepening of night over time, casting a poetic shadow over the entire runway.
Feminine Lace, Reimagined with Poetic Strength
Feminine lace played a bold role this season, elevated into a medium of poetic yet powerful expression. Delicate dresses and blouses adorned with floral motifs evoked a Victorian mood softened by modern contours—becoming like a translucent membrane of emotion, gently enveloping the inner world of the girl at the heart of the collection.
Other details left a lasting impression as well. A vivid red beaded brooch placed on the chest of a tweed jacket, for instance, felt like a quiet but piercing symbol—perhaps a trace of blood from the story’s emotional undercurrents—subtly searing its presence into the minds of the audience.
Garments Woven with Poetic Sentiment
The true essence of tiit tokyo lies not merely in the construction of clothing, but in its ability to craft garments as if composing a verse—each piece part of a greater story. What lingers after the show is not just fashion, but the quiet afterglow of having witnessed a scene from a deeply personal film.
“Sparkle”—it’s not about dazzling brilliance, but rather a fleeting shard of emotion that glimmers momentarily in the darkness. That subtle light, tender yet piercing, gently ignites something within the viewer’s heart. Perhaps it is this quiet radiance that tiit tokyo sought to entrust to its Fall/Winter 2025 collection.
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