The first edition of Tokyo Fashion Week was held in 2005.
Tokyo Fashion Week was established as an international showcase for Japanese fashion labels and designers. Its calendar has been connected with the Japan Fashion Week Organization and has included runway shows, presentations and other events across the city.
The event is now widely known through the title Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO, following the naming relationship with Rakuten. That later branding should not be mistaken for the event’s founding date: the first edition predates the Rakuten name.
Tokyo’s fashion scene is broader than its official fashion week. Districts such as Shibuya, Harajuku and Aoyama have their own retail and street-style identities, while the formal fashion-week calendar focuses on professional collection presentations. This distinction explains why Tokyo Fashion Week can be dated to 2005 even though Japanese fashion culture and international designer recognition are much older.