NEWS: Konnichiwa, Tokyo! We're presenting German fashion in Japan – and the world's most important concept stores are coming for a look.

Tokyo / Berlin, November 18, 2025: Lost in Translation? Not at all! Nine designers from Germany have just completed a journey that will significantly facilitate their business dealings and negotiations in a market unfamiliar to them: As part of Berlin Fashion X International – the internationalization project of the Fashion Council Germany, supported by the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises – we conducted our first delegation trip to Tokyo.

From November 9th to 15th, a comprehensive program gave the brands Anne Bernecker , Carolin Dieler , Esther Perbandt , Gerrit Jacob , LUEDER , MARKE , Panos Gotsis , SF1OG , and Vladimir Karaleev the opportunity to gain insights into the Japanese market and learn about the specifics of negotiation techniques there. Furthermore, their collections were presented to a professional audience during the "Berlin Showroom," which we organized in collaboration with the sales agency North Liberty and the PR agency Call Hanna. in Omotesando, one of Tokyo's most important economic and cultural centers. This audience included representatives from media outlets such as Vogue Japan, Elle Japan, WWD Japan, Fashion Tsushin, and Fashion Snap, as well as the retail stores Dover Street Market Ginza, Isetan, United Arrows, Beams, and Nubian.

“After New York City, our Berlin Fashion X International initiative has taken us to Seoul and now also to Tokyo,” said Christiane Arp, Chairwoman of the Fashion Council Germany, who personally accompanied the trip. “These two important Asian markets are characterized, not least, by a very discerning clientele with a strong interest in individuality and a sense of innovative fashion. This reflects the work of the nine designers who joined us in Tokyo. The response from the media representatives and buyers on site was truly impressive and greatly inspired me.”

In addition to effectively presenting their fashion, the designers gained valuable insights during workshops – for example, on "Japanese Business Culture & Communication" or "Fashion PR in Japan" – enabling them to operate and communicate confidently in the Japanese market. Furthermore, they established crucial contacts during meetings at renowned stores in Tokyo, including with management and purchasing departments at concept stores GR8, estnation, Restir, and DSM Ginza, as well as luxury department stores Isetan Shinjuku and Takashimaya Nihombashi.

“This trip has brought us a significant step closer to our overarching goal of internationalizing German fashion, a goal we are pursuing in close cooperation with the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises,” explains Scott Lipinski, CEO of the Fashion Council Germany and also a member of the delegation. “In addition to presenting their fashion in a dedicated showroom, we were able to offer the participating designers a program that empowers them to operate confidently and effectively in the Japanese market. We consider it a core mission of the Fashion Council Germany to support them not only in raising the profile of their work, but also in developing and strengthening a solid economic foundation – a goal we were able to achieve with this delegation trip.”

The program for the approximately week-long delegation trip also included a meeting with Arashi Yanagawa, founder of the avant-garde label John Lawrence Sullivan, to discuss the differences and similarities between working in the Japanese and German fashion scenes, as well as a guided tour of the Tokyo Textile Scope trade fair, organized by the Japan Fashion Week Organization. Furthermore, the designers had the opportunity to experience Japanese culture in a variety of ways – for example, during an intimate dinner at the sumo restaurant Chanko Chiyonofuji, hosted by the Fashion Council Germany together with Japanese top model Kozue Akimoto.

Berlin Fashion X International is supported by a state program, which is financed by ERDF funds and funds from the state of Berlin.