Keisuke Yoshida, the visionary Japanese fashion designer, continues to captivate the fashion world with his deeply introspective and emotionally charged collections. For his Tokyo Girl 2025 showcase, Yoshida once again turned inward, exploring his insecurities, memories, and emotions, transforming them into a darkly alluring narrative that feels almost Oedipal in its intensity.
Held at Rosa Kikan, a retro arcade, cinema, and bookshop nestled in the nostalgic streets of North Tokyo, the show was a homage to Yoshida’s childhood. Now 34, Yoshida, a self-proclaimed “Kagi-co” (a Japanese term for a latchkey kid), spent much of his lonely youth escaping into books and movies at places like Rosa Kikan. “This was one of the places that helped fill that loneliness,” he shared, setting the stage for a collection steeped in personal history.
The Show: A Darkly Feminine Fantasy
As guests gathered at the entrance, the sugary melodies of anime-style arcade music faded into eerie white noise, signaling the arrival of Yoshida’s models. The women emerged as spectral figures, clad in tightly belted trench coats, pleated floral pencil skirts, and blouses adorned with signature lump-like embellishments. The silhouettes were sharp and restrained, with polo necks and blouses sewn tightly to evoke a sense of suffocation and restraint.
The collection oscillated between severity and casual ease. Structured pieces like tailored coats and fitted blouses were juxtaposed with baggier silhouettes and vibrant colors, such as a vinyl oversized raincoat in canary yellow and turquoise. Accessories played a key role, with dainty class bags and sporty backpacks adding a touch of realism, reminiscent of busy mothers on school runs.
Among the most striking looks were hooded outfits that seemed to blur the line between nightwear and outerwear. One standout piece featured a Persian rug print, a nod to the carpet in Yoshida’s childhood bedroom, while a quilted jacket echoed the floral patterns of his childhood mattress.
Backstage Insights: Maternal Influences and Reality
After the show, Yoshida was characteristically reflective. “For the past few seasons, I’ve been confronting my reality, and in that process, I created an image of a maternal figure in my mind,” he explained. “This journey helped me develop a more elegant expression, but it also made me think about the distance between myself and society, and how this distance is reflected in the eyes of the women I design for.”
The inclusion of accidental, grounded pieces in the collection was intentional, Yoshida noted. These elements served to anchor his fantastical creations in reality, making them more relatable and tangible. “Reality is more important than the past,” he emphasized. “I felt it was time to start expressing the present more clearly.”
