Photo Credit: Daniel Quintanilla
PARENTI FASHION: PATRICIA ANN PARENTI
Asia Fashion Collection is a global incubation project produced and sponsored by VANTAN INC and PARCO CO. LTD in Asia. This collection provides a platform for emerging fashion designers all throughout East Asia to show their talents and compete for a spot to have a runway show at New York Fashion Week. Only five brands from Asia get picked to debut their collections with Asia Fashion Collection annual runway show with NYFW. Besides giving these designers, a runway shows in NYC, AFC nurtures the new talent by helping them to grow. In order to show in NYC, the brands must first win the Tokyo preliminary debut. The F/W 2025 show took place on Tuesday, February 11, 2025 at 1:00 PM at Daylight Studios in the Flatiron District in NYC. Both menswear and womenswear were shown. www.asiafashioncollection.com
VANTAN
Founded in 1965 with the vision of “creating the world’s closest school to society,” VANTAN fosters human resources which can be immediately applicable through “practical education”, such as classes taught by active instructors, long-term internships, and industry-academia cooperative projects in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya. The institution has developed educational programs in the fields of Fashion, Hair Styling, Makeup, Beauty, Graphic Design, Film, Photography, Game Design, Animation, Patisserie, Cafe management, Programming, Creating in the Entertainment field, Influencing, and Producing. VANTAN has produced approximately 200,000 graduates to date. https://www.vantan.jp
PARCO
Since the establishment of Ikebukuro PARCO in 1969, its mission has been to cultivate and showcase culture in all forms. While the company’s core DNA is Fashion, it has extended across numerous categories to include Music, Visual Arts, and Theater, while bringing a splash of color to consumer culture as a whole. These initiatives have established PARCO as a leader in creative workspaces, attracting an abundance of talent that amplifies a creative circle which continues to drive forward and pave the way for the next cultural movement. https://www.parco.co.jp
The fashions I saw at the show were mainly streetwear with lots of oversized shapes and distressed denim. The designers shown (all from Asia)
Yousuke Haga by Yousuke Haga- Japan creates clothing that contributes to self-expression based on the culture of Japan. Decadence, decorative elements and experimental textiles describe his collection. @yousuke_haga
PCES by Yu Chi Lee, Chih Yun Chang and Bruno Hayon Chung – Taiwan is about the endless cycle of death and rebirth. Traditional elements are combined with modern techniques. @pces_studio
MEG KIM by Meg Kim – South Korea exploring the intersection of romantic masculinity with unitarian workwear. Washed out colors in fabrics, vintage brass buttons/zippers evoke a timeless lived in aesthetic. @megk1m
BILL BILL by Kouki Sera & Kotarou Kawamura – Japan Concept is clothing with a free thought. This designer creates clothing that incorporates art pieces. @billbill_official
LITTLE BEDROOM by Sora Komatsu – Japan The background of the designer is the internet and amine Greek culture and the concept is applied to the designs. He produces his clothing with traditional Japanese techniques. @little_bedroom_