Calls to rebrand fashion week

Models present creations by designer Tokuko Maeda during Tokyo Fashion Week in Tokyo last week. [Photo/IC]

Tokyo may be the style capital of Asia, but with South Korea and China snapping at its heels and Japan's most iconic brands rooted in Europe, the city is being urged to haul its fashion week into the big leagues.

Tokyo Fashion Week kicked off its spring/summer 2017 season showcase earlier this month with six days of events intended to promote 50 brands, a mixture of the established and the new.

Yet Japanese labels that are household names in the West-led by Kenzo, YohjiYamamoto, Issey Miyake and Comme des Garcons－eschew home shores for the bright lights, prestige and visibility of Paris.

Tokyo Fashion Week attracts only 50,000 visitors just a quarter of the number that attend the New York event, and also lagging behind London, Paris and Milan.