Since the year was set aside for a Japanese fashion show that is also held in Tokyo, the style and designs of this year’s competition were all focused on the Japanese people. The show was hosted by Yuichiro Nagashima, the famous Japanese actor, director and producer of samurai movies. He welcomed both foreign and Japanese fashion designers to participate in the competition. There were more than forty designers from twenty different countries. The designers were from Europe, Australia, Canada, China, France, United States, Japan and South Korea.
A total of six different categories were presented for the competition. One of which was the women’s segment that showcased the latest Japanese fashion trends. The designs showed women wearing traditional Japanese cloths such as kimono dresses, along with some that are more modern and stylish. Most of the fashions were influenced by the Samurai culture and art, which include things like kimono, sake glass, paper lanterns and rice paper.
The men’s section of the competition showcased elegant Japanese clothing like samurai suits, obi bonsai, kimono tops and kimono slacks. This year, there were more western and Hollywood inspirations such as skulls, swords and chains. The tattoo designs were also influenced by western pop culture and art styles such as skulls, flowers and angel wings. Another great thing about the contest was that not only the designers but the audience got to see how well they combined Japanese and western fashion together. Some of the favorites of the audience were the seahorse prints and the dragon print.