Kotoha Yokozawa, a talented 34-year-old with a history on Uniqlo’s design team, has cultivated a successful business and a distinctively bold style. This season marked her first show in four years, during which she reflected on her life in Nishi-Shinjuku, a bustling, tourist-centric area of Tokyo. Here, she frequently encounters lively scenes such as partygoers with cans of chuhai, LUUP scooter docking stations, and neon-clad runners gearing up for the Tokyo Marathon.
Backstage, Yokozawa expressed her admiration for the runners’ slightly mismatched color choices, noting, “I really like that slightly mismatched look of colors that runners wear, like they’ve bought different things and have to make it work.” She added, “I think color has the power to lift your spirit, and I hope that comes across.” Her collection was a vibrant display featuring colors like fuchsia, tangerine, mint, and lemon, embodying the energetic spirit of the Japanese capital.
The collection showcased the brand’s signature stretch pleat tops paired with sheer skirts and snug, cropped cardigans. In contrast, a dull fluffy jacket and straightforward yoga pants seemed less impactful. Standout pieces included futuristic men’s wear with popper-lined jeans and elegant dresses with fabric cutouts—a resourceful design element Yokozawa pioneered early on. She explained, “When I first started my brand, I didn’t have the money to commission a factory and I didn’t know much about patterns, so I’d cut it myself and attach leftover fabric.”
The set was a highlight of the season, featuring two food trucks and a tuk-tuk on the 9th floor of Shibuya’s Hikarie building, with the runway bordered by traffic bollards and large plants. In a nod to the Y2K era, models wore plastic pedometers or tamagotchis on their waists. Yokozawa remarked, “I really enjoy creating spaces, props, and even small souvenirs just as much as I enjoy making clothes. They’re essential to my work,” emphasizing that “simply showing clothes isn’t what I like about fashion, it’s something that exists within a landscape.”
