Amazon Fashion Week TOKYO has just been held in Tokyo, an important event that attracts fashion professionals every season. Popular brands that graduated from the Tokyo collection (Tokyo Fashion Week) returned to show their collections again such as well-known brand to watch TOGA by designer Yasuko Furuta. Today, the brand celebrates the 20th anniversary since the establishment in 1997 after graduating from Esmod Paris Paris in 1994. In 1999, the designer joined Tokyo Fashion Week exhibiting for the first time following moving to Paris in 2005 to present her collections at Paris Fashion Week. In 2007, she won the French National Museum of Art’s Development Association ‘ANDAM’ prize. 2014, she released her collections in London, where she is based today additionally having PR offices in Tokyo and in London. The designer explains that she wants to communicate TOGA internationally rather than communicating exclusively as a Japanese brand. In celebration of the brands 20th anniversary, the designer explains that she wanted to show her collection in Tokyo to display the progress of the brand after 12 years, also to thank those who have supported the brand from the beginning, and to create brand awareness towards those who are unfamiliar with the brand. The designers first collection that she made was a summer collection, with the idea of having instant access to her clothing the See-Now-Buy-Now shopping experience. The thinking process behind what the brand wants to create for their consumer has remained the same throughout the years, similarly the brand’s passion for creation will never change even after 20 years.



TOGA is a wholesale brand that focuses on showing the best constructed garments to excite the audience in the format of a fashion show presentation as it is cost effective and powerful.
The designer explains that in Europe it is common for brands to be sponsored financially. Whereas Japan has a larger market one can manage as an independent business, as the number of shops in Japan is considered as the same quantity of shops in the whole of Europe. Yasuko Furuta believes that the necessary steps for continuous brand growth is that brands should keep on choosing different methods to grow, also being flexible in business helps with development as the fashion industry as it is hard to keep up with the current changes.

From casual to occasional outfits TOGA has developed labels to show a variety of garments "TOGA", "TOGA PULLA", "TOGA VIRILIS", "TOGA Odds & Ends " and the business wear label called "TOGA XTC" this store includes vintage clothing inside the store as the designer grew up in the 1970’s. As a designer of a ready-to-wear clothing label, vintage is a different market the designer believes that customers who are interested in TOGA want to see the diversity within the brand. Further working closely with a clothing business in Japan, where she gained professional knowledge on how to purchase vintage apparel while keeping in mind the TOGA brand image. As a designer one must be aware of the business aspects also the creation of the clothing while keeping in mind the importance of figures and product planning to grow one’s brand.

Micayla Pereira © Modemonline