Tomo Koizumi—New York Fashion Week’s Breakout Star—Takes His Show Home to Tokyo

Janelle Okwodu

Tomo Koizumi—New York Fashion Week’s Breakout Star—Takes His Show Home to Tokyo

<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Tomo Koizumi</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Tomo Koizumi
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Tomo Koizumi</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Tomo Koizumi
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Tomo Koizumi</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Tomo Koizumi
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Tomo Koizumi</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Tomo Koizumi
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Tomo Koizumi</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Tomo Koizumi
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Tomo Koizumi</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Tomo Koizumi
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Tomo Koizumi</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Tomo Koizumi
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Tomo Koizumi</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Tomo Koizumi
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Tomo Koizumi</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Tomo Koizumi
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Tomo Koizumi</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Tomo Koizumi
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Tomo Koizumi</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Tomo Koizumi
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Tomo Koizumi</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Tomo Koizumi

What’s a young designer to do once they’ve become the toast of New York? For Tomo Koizumi, the answer was simple: take the show back home. After two seasons of enlivening New York Fashion Week with his tulle statement gowns and star-studded casts, Koizumi brought his arresting Spring 2020 collection to Tokyo Fashion Week with an event at its Roppongi Hills show space. For his first show in Japan, Koizumi wanted to innovate. “I always want to do something different from the last time,” he shared post-finale. “We had shown in New York and taken the collection through Europe, so it was important to go in different directions.”

Debuted on model Ariel Nicholson during a performance-art-meets-presentation event at Marc Jacobs’s Madison Avenue boutique in September, the pieces were familiar, but a switch in format allowed for new excitement. This time around Japan’s runway talent was on full display with aughts catwalker Ai Tominaga leading a cast that included stars like Chiharu Okunugi, Rina Fukushi, and Miki Ehara. “Every outfit has a character based on the colors and silhouette,” says Koizumi, who paired music and muse to create a mood to match each look. Lighter moments were punctuated by retro pop while darker pieces, like the black number worn by Tominaga, necessitated arias and movement to match. “I love Japanese models,” says Koizumi. “I’ve known Ai for some time, and I knew I wanted to work with her on this.”

The pageantry wouldn’t be effective if the clothes weren’t epic all on their own, and his mountainous tulle capes and dresses brought a degree of drama to a week dominated by streetwear. Koizumi, who is based in Tokyo, was pleased to share his creations alongside his fellow designers. “I think I’m known more internationally than domestically in the media, so I wanted to do something here,” he says. “I’m happy to be here and be a part of this.”

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Originally Appeared on Vogue