Rakuten to Power Fashion Shows for Tomo Koizumi and TOGA Through the “by R” Project to Support Japanese Fashion Labels

Official site: https://brandavenue.rakuten.co.jp/contents/fashionweek/

Tokyo, February 9, 2022 – Rakuten Group, Inc. today announced that it will support the fashion shows for the brands Tomo Koizumi and TOGA during Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO 2022 A/W*¹, scheduled for March 14 to March 19, through the “by R” project to support Japanese fashion brands*².

Rakuten will livestream both shows on the Rakuten Fashion online shopping website for free to all viewers*³, with the aim of helping to further raise awareness of the brands. Both brands are also planning to join Rakuten Fashion for the first time ever and offer limited-edition products for sale on the site. Tomo Koizumi has not to date sold its fashion through any physical retail stores or online e-commerce channels, nor does it operate its own e-commerce website. Its arrival on Rakuten Fashion marks the first time it has had a permanent presence in online retail*⁴. 

Rakuten partnered with the Japan Fashion Week Organization to become the headline sponsor for TOKYO Fashion Week in August 2019, and the event was renamed to Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO. In September 2020, Rakuten established the “by R” project with the goal of broadening the horizons of talented designers in Japan and showcasing the country’s designer fashion to the world.

Rakuten will continue to empower and contribute to the development of the fashion industry in Japan.

 *1 During this period, many of the fashion shows will be held without a live audience or with restrictions on the number of audience members admitted, in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
*2 The Tomo Koizumi show is scheduled for Monday, March 14 and the TOGA show for Saturday, March 19.
*3 The shows will be streamed on the desktop and mobile versions of the Rakuten Fashion official site. Please see the “by R” page for fashion show details: https://brandavenue.rakuten.co.jp/contents/fashionweek/ (Japanese only).
*4 Excludes limited-time e-commerce websites.

Official site: https://brandavenue.rakuten.co.jp/contents/fashionweek/
Outline: Support for planning assistance and event management for the fashion shows staged during Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO 2022 A/W.
Featured Brands: Tomo Koizumi, TOGA
Schedule:
7:00 p.m. on Monday, March 14 – Tomo Koizumi
6:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 19 – TOGA

http://tomo-koizumi.com/

Tomo Koizumi is a fashion brand launched by designer Tomotaka Koizumi in 2011. In January 2019, photos of his designs on Instagram caught the eye of Katie Grand, a world-renowned fashion stylist. This encounter spurred his runway debut in New York the very next month. Koizumi’s collections stand out with bright colors and bold silhouettes. He continues to create new garments in the hope of bringing joy and happiness to all those who come across his creations.

 Tomo Koizumi designer Tomotaka Koizumi commented:
“This will be my second show in Tokyo, the first being Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO 2020 S/S in 2019. With Rakuten’s support, I hope to deliver fun and happiness to the hearts of everyone who sees the newly evolved Tomo Koizumi dresses.

https://www.TOGA.jp/

TOGA was founded in 1997 by designer Yasuko Furuta. Furuta also launched TOGA PULLA in 2004 and the men’s line TOGA VIRILIS in 2011. TOGA collections have been showcased in London since Autumn-Winter 2014. Most recently, the Spring-Summer 2022 capsule collection was produced in collaboration with artist Gordon Matta-Clark, presented as a seasonal film.

TOGA designer Yasuko Furuta commented:
“As the pandemic fuels an increasing diversity of show formats, this season we received an invitation to Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO 2022 A/W, and will be opening in Tokyo, and London. This is the first time in five years we have had a runway show in two cities.”

Dates: Monday, March 14 to Saturday, March 19
Features: Fashion shows, installations, video announcements
Season: 2022 autumn/winter collection
Participating brands: 54 brands (52 brands, and two brands from “by R”)

Official site: https://brandavenue.rakuten.co.jp

Rakuten Fashion is an online fashion shopping website made up of popular fashion brand shops. Rakuten Fashion Luxury was released on the site in October 2020 to promote and offer luxury brand and designer brand products. Users can earn and spend Rakuten Points, Rakuten’s flagship loyalty program, when paying for products. Rakuten Fashion also offers a dedicated smartphone app.

iOS app: https://apps.apple.com/app/id1495930546 (*iOS 11+ recommended)
Android™ app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.co.rakuten.fashionAndroid (*Android OS 5.0+ recommended）
*iOS is a trademark or registered trademark of Cisco in the U.S. and other countries and is used under license. Android™ is a trademark of Google LLC.