Tae Ashida Brings Modern Elegance to the Past at Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO

Japanese designer Tae Ashida showed her latest Autumn/Winter 2025–26 collection on March 18th at Otemachi Mitsui Hall, as part of this season’s Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO. The show, titled “Eternal Threads – Weaving the Past and Future,” brought together classic design elements with fresh, modern updates.

The runway—lit up with shifting graphics, bold type, and geometric patterns—set the mood for a show focused on the mix of old and new. Models like Kiko Arai, Miki Ehara, and rising face Akitsugu Tominaga (son of supermodel Ai Tominaga) walked the LED-lit stage in a lineup of 50 looks for both men and women.

Ashida’s designs explored the idea of time through textures and details: think water ripples, soft lighting, and earthy colors. She opened with a long Gobelin-style coat and continued to blend vintage-style fabrics with clean, modern shapes—creating a collection that felt rooted but not stuck in the past.

Even with heavy fabrics and winter layers, there was a lightness to everything. Ashida used high-performance textiles—some made by long-running Italian mills—to give her pieces comfort, stretch, and weather-ready qualities. “Today’s fabrics are so advanced, even light coats can keep you warm,” Ashida said. “Rather than copying tradition, I want to adapt it for how we live now.”

Menswear, which Ashida started designing in 2019, continues to influence her women’s looks. Structured shapes and clean lines bring balance to the softer side of the collection—and many women now wear her menswear for exactly that reason.

On the runway, we saw everything from belted jackets and sheer blouses to oversized knits and fringe-trimmed coats. There were deep reds, browns, and shimmery layers that moved with the models. Toward the end, daywear gave way to dressier looks: sparkly camis, lace skirts, and soft cardigans that caught the light without overpowering the silhouettes.

With this collection, Ashida didn’t just reference the past—she reimagined it for today. By blending heritage with high-tech materials and modern style, she continues to move Japanese fashion forward, in a way that feels both thoughtful and wearable.