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Tokyo Vintage Fashion Week: Introduction

In a bold move to position itself alongside the world's top five fashion weeks, TOKYO CREATIVE SALON has launched the inaugural "Tokyo Vintage Fashion Week." Organized by the Tokyo Vintage Fashion Week Executive Committee, led by Tomonori Matsui of Corporation One-O, this unique event seeks to highlight and redefine the rich vintage fashion culture inherent to Tokyo. It aims to disseminate the charm of vintage fashion both domestically and internationally.

What is Tokyo Vintage Fashion Week?

Tokyo Vintage Fashion Week is the world's first vintage clothing fashion week, developed to showcase the vibrancy of second-hand clothing culture. This event sets itself apart as a premier platform, inviting industry professionals and general audience alike to experience the deep-rooted values and allure of vintage fashion.

Approximately 100 vendors will convene to create a bustling vintage marketplace, offering an eclectic array of vintage items for sale. Attendees can also look forward to fashion shows that express the historical context and stories behind the vintage wares, further establishing the cultural significance and depth of these garments. In recent years, Japan's distinctive vintage culture has gained considerable acclaim internationally, making this initiative an essential channel for promoting Tokyo's unique vintage scene to the world.

Event Details

• - Dates: March 13 to 15, 2026
• - Location: Shinjuku Sumitomo Building Triangle Plaza (2-6-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku)
• - Admission Fee: Free
• - Operating Hours:

- March 13 (Friday): 1:00 PM - 7:00 PM
- March 14 (Saturday): 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
- March 15 (Sunday): 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

The event is organized by the Tokyo Vintage Fashion Week Executive Committee comprising several esteemed companies, including Collection Bank, Dessert Snow, ECOMMIT, Free Standard, JAM TRADING, Mercari, One-O, StayGold, Tin Pan Alley, WEGO, and ZOZO. More information can be found on their official website or via their Instagram.

The Vision Behind Tokyo Vintage Fashion Week

With the rise of flea market applications, thrift stores, and second-hand shops in daily life, clothing, once considered disposable, is now being perceived as a valuable asset. However, not all garments circulating in the market will endure the test of time. There exist pieces that retain their intrinsic value and can be handed down through generations, while others will quietly fade away.

In light of this reality, Tokyo Vintage Fashion Week aims to redefine the relationship between garments born in the past, those maintaining value through secondary circulation, and those that may hold future significance. This is a groundbreaking effort to innovate the traditional framework of fashion weeks, which have predominantly focused on brand-new creations. By introducing a fresh perspective, the event emphasizes the cultural narratives and histories that garments convey rather than simply treating them as market items.

A New Approach

Tokyo Vintage Fashion Week diverges from conventional narratives by showcasing vintage garments as integral pieces of a broader stylistic and cultural narrative. Emphasizing the notion that past designs can evolve through contemporary lenses, the event presents vintage items as not merely relics of the past but as inspirations for future trends. The concept of a "runway" is employed, providing a stage where styles, moods, and backstories come together.

The garments on display transcend being just physical items; they embody stories and relationships with their respective eras. The fashion pieces currently being created are also a continuation of the legacies of those that came before them.

An Invitation to Experience

"Experience the moment when the past transforms into the future." Attendees are encouraged to immerse themselves in this renewed fashion experience, as it represents a significant effort to forge new perspectives that connect the past to the future, ultimately redefining the narrative of fashion.

A Message from Tomonori Matsui, Committee Chair

Tomonori Matsui, CEO of Corporation One-O and leader of this initiative, draws upon over two decades of experience in Japan's fashion industry. His journey began in a vintage clothing store, where he first encountered the rich histories and emotions tied to garments, shaping his values towards fashion.

"What does clothing mean? What constitutes value?" These questions have guided his work and fueled a growing awareness of the significance of vintage fashion and sustainability in contemporary society. Matsui emphasizes that clothing is not merely an object but a living entity nurturing relationships within cultural contexts across time.

Tokyo Vintage Fashion Week was born out of a desire to visualize this heritage and to reinterpret vintage designs through a modern lens, thus passing their worth to future generations. He hopes that through this endeavor, society can reflect on the cultural importance of fashion and offer a new experiential angle for all.

In summary, this initiative promotes a stronger connection between clothing and people while enriching the cultural narrative around fashion for future generations, encouraging a collective journey toward appreciating the evolving nature of style.

Why Vintage?

The vintage and reuse market is rapidly expanding both domestically and internationally, with Japan becoming a pivotal reference point for vintage pricing. While Paris generates new trends, Japan reinterprets fashion and assigns it new values. Predictions suggest that Japan's fashion reuse market will reach 1.28 trillion yen in 2024, reflecting a 111.3% increase year-on-year, with further growth of 5-10% anticipated.

The Tokyo area, particularly places like Harajuku and Shimokitazawa, has become a pilgrimage site for foreign visitors seeking vintage clothing, with some shops reporting significant sales from tourists. As noted in ThredUp's 2024 report, global second-hand clothing sales grew 18% in 2023, projecting to reach $350 billion by 2028.

Content Composition

The event will feature content categorized into three unique segments:
1. Vintage Market: A vibrant showcase featuring around 100 vendors offering an array of both rare and everyday vintage garments, showcasing Japan's rich vintage culture.
2. Vintage Fashion Show: Two collaborative shows will present different aspects of vintage, displaying the historical and narrative depth behind the garments.
3. Community Engagement: As part of the broader TOKYO CREATIVE SALON initiative, the event underscores the unifying power of city-wide creative efforts.

Join us from March 13 to 15, 2026, to explore the captivating world of vintage fashion and witness how Tokyo’s unique narrative is reshaping the future of the global fashion landscape.