[WWDJAPAN Latest Issue] 2026-27 AW Tokyo: Fashion Hope Shown by Designers Through Four Trends

This issue summarizes the latest collections presented in Tokyo, including the six-day 'Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO'. We focus on four major trends this season. First is the high presence of brands like 'FDMTL', 'ANCELLM', 'TANAKA', and 'MIZEN', which filter Japanese craftsmanship and traditional aesthetics for a global audience. Second is the 'New Elegance' created through structural forms and distorted silhouettes, exemplified by brands like 'YOHEI OHNO' and 'ENFOLD'. Third, women's brands like 'FETICO' and 'PILLINGS' have entered a new phase, expanding their internal values outward through human connections. Fourth is the proposal of light materials and colors, accelerating seasonless dressing with items like sweatshirts, fleece, and layered knits. Business topics include interviews with Burberry CEO Joshua Schulman on the 'Burberry Forward' strategy and Sogo & Seibu President Hiroto Taguchi on the closure of the Seibu Shibuya store. We also cover the real estate background of urban redevelopment and the potential merger between Estée Lauder and Puig.