TOKYO FASHION WEEK CANCELED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK
Following news that Tokyo Fashion Week, officially referred to as Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo, Autumn/Winter 2020Ā season would be canceled amid fears surrounding coronavirus, it has been announced that shows will go ahead by being live-streamed online.
Tokyo Fashion Week was originally scheduled to take place March 16 through March 21 ā this year would have accounted for the second showcase under new title sponsor, Rakuten. The Tokyo event isn’t the first to be affected by coronavirus, however, a whole host of music events have been canceled following the outbreak of COVID-19. Undoubtedly the fashion industry has been hit too, as fashion weeks in Shanghai, Beijing, and Seoul have been postponed or canceled. Milan Fashion Week was wrapped early due to an outbreak in Northern Italy.
In light of this, Tokyo Fashion Week for AW20 is set to go ahead. It was previously reported that shows were to be postponed until at least the summer of 2020. Live-streaming runway shows is nothing new, with the likes of Louis Vuitton and Chanel often taking their shows online. However, unlike the previously live-streamed shows, this season will lack a front-row appearance.
āItās a good opportunity to consider new ways to do shows or showrooms digitally… so that [brands] can reach more audiences from all over the world,ā said Maiko Shibata, creative director and buyer of Tokyo-based boutique Restir.
She went on to add that it may be difficult for some brands to fill their orders as there will be less global exposure due to the cancellation of Tokyo Fashion Week.
All shows will air on the Tokyo Fashion Week website. The full Tokyo Fashion Week AW20 livestream schedule (in Japan Standard Time) can be found below.
Rakuten Tokyo Fashion Week AW20 Schedule
March 16
- 3:30 p.m. ā De_caffeine Homme
- 5:30 p.m. ā DressedUndressed
- 8:00 p.m. ā Meagratia
March 17
- 8:00 p.m. ā Hiroko Koshino
March 19
- 6:00 p.m. ā Forsomeone
March 20
- 12:00 p.m. Jotaro Saito
- 2:30 p.m. Koh T
- 8:00 p.m. Neglect Adult Patients
March 21
- 3:00 p.m. ā Mitsuru Okazaki
9:45 p.m. ā Mint Designs
March 23
- 3:00 p.m. ā Apocrypha
March 25
- 4:00 p.m. ā Stair
- 6:00 p.m. ā Yuki Torii International
March 26
- 12:30 p.m. ā Malamute
