During Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO 2026 A/W, the emerging Japanese brand KAKAN presented its first runway show. The presentation took place on March 16, 2026 at Hikarie Hall in Shibuya, marking a significant milestone for the young label following its recognition through the TOKYO FASHION AWARD.
Courtesy of KAKAN | Photo by Ko Tsuchiya
The collection was built around the theme “WILD, NOT PURE.”
For KAKAN, beauty does not exist in purity alone. Instead, it emerges from contradiction—between instinct and restraint, order and impulse. Rather than rejecting these tensions, the collection embraces them, expressing the complexity of human nature through soft, mutable materials.
Courtesy of KAKAN | Photo by Ko Tsuchiya
Garments by KAKAN are designed to reveal their most expressive form when the body moves. On the runway, styled in collaboration with Tomoko Kojima, the pieces came alive through motion, highlighting silhouettes that shift and transform as the wearer walks. The show emphasized clothing as a living structure rather than a static object.
Courtesy of KAKAN | Photo by Ko Tsuchiya
At the core of the brand’s practice is a deep engagement with wool and handcraft. KAKAN has developed a distinctive approach that begins with raw wool, which is hand-spun into yarn before being knitted into garments. This season expands that exploration further, transforming the same wool into felted textiles, revealing the diverse expressions that can emerge from a single material.
Courtesy of KAKAN | Photo by Ko Tsuchiya
The brand is led by designer Kakan Kudo, born in Tokyo in 1998. After studying fashion and textiles at Central Saint Martins and later fashion design at Istituto Marangoni, Kudo gained experience at houses including Yohji Yamamoto and CHANEL before launching her own label in 2024.
Courtesy of KAKAN | Photo by Ko Tsuchiya
KAKAN’s collections often unfold like narratives, drawing inspiration from poetry, cinema, nature, and subtle emotional states. Knitwear remains a central element, serving as a medium through which the designer explores the relationship between handcraft, the body, and personal identity.
Courtesy of KAKAN | Photo by Ko Tsuchiya
During Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO, the brand also presented costume pieces created for the project “BALLET TheNewClassic – Living Costumes.” The installation highlighted KAKAN’s ongoing dialogue between fashion and performance, extending the brand’s practice beyond the runway.
Courtesy of KAKAN | Photo by Ko Tsuchiya
Through movement, material, and handcraft, KAKAN’s debut runway show offered a glimpse into a developing design language—one that embraces contradiction and seeks beauty in the tension between the wild and the refined.
Courtesy of KAKAN | Photo by Ko Tsuchiya
Courtesy of KAKAN | Photo by Ko TsuchiyaThe collection was built around the theme “WILD, NOT PURE.”
For KAKAN, beauty does not exist in purity alone. Instead, it emerges from contradiction—between instinct and restraint, order and impulse. Rather than rejecting these tensions, the collection embraces them, expressing the complexity of human nature through soft, mutable materials.
Courtesy of KAKAN | Photo by Ko TsuchiyaGarments by KAKAN are designed to reveal their most expressive form when the body moves. On the runway, styled in collaboration with Tomoko Kojima, the pieces came alive through motion, highlighting silhouettes that shift and transform as the wearer walks. The show emphasized clothing as a living structure rather than a static object.
Courtesy of KAKAN | Photo by Ko TsuchiyaAt the core of the brand’s practice is a deep engagement with wool and handcraft. KAKAN has developed a distinctive approach that begins with raw wool, which is hand-spun into yarn before being knitted into garments. This season expands that exploration further, transforming the same wool into felted textiles, revealing the diverse expressions that can emerge from a single material.
Courtesy of KAKAN | Photo by Ko TsuchiyaThe brand is led by designer Kakan Kudo, born in Tokyo in 1998. After studying fashion and textiles at Central Saint Martins and later fashion design at Istituto Marangoni, Kudo gained experience at houses including Yohji Yamamoto and CHANEL before launching her own label in 2024.
Courtesy of KAKAN | Photo by Ko TsuchiyaKAKAN’s collections often unfold like narratives, drawing inspiration from poetry, cinema, nature, and subtle emotional states. Knitwear remains a central element, serving as a medium through which the designer explores the relationship between handcraft, the body, and personal identity.
Courtesy of KAKAN | Photo by Ko TsuchiyaDuring Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO, the brand also presented costume pieces created for the project “BALLET TheNewClassic – Living Costumes.” The installation highlighted KAKAN’s ongoing dialogue between fashion and performance, extending the brand’s practice beyond the runway.
Courtesy of KAKAN | Photo by Ko TsuchiyaThrough movement, material, and handcraft, KAKAN’s debut runway show offered a glimpse into a developing design language—one that embraces contradiction and seeks beauty in the tension between the wild and the refined.
Courtesy of KAKAN | Photo by Ko Tsuchiya
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