{"id":10146,"date":"2026-03-23T16:48:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T07:48:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ffp.jp\/?p=10146"},"modified":"2026-03-23T16:48:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T07:48:16","slug":"2025-talk-session","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ffp.jp\/en\/news-en\/2025-talk-session\/","title":{"rendered":"A Message to Future Creators: A Talk Session by the Jury"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row row_padding_bottom=”padding-bottom-80″ css=”.vc_custom_1759891347361{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1748320180643{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”][wr_vc_titles text_align=”text-left” title_style=”headline-m” padding_top=”padding-top-30″ padding_bottom=”padding-bottom-30″][wr_vc_title title=”A Message to Future Creators: A Talk Session by the Jury”][\/wr_vc_titles][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_padding_top=”no-padding-top”][vc_column]
After the awards ceremony, the stage did not fall silent.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Instead, it opened into a conversation.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Reflecting on the past five years, the jury gathered to speak\u2014not only about the evolution of the FASHION FRONTIER PROGRAM, but about what lies ahead.<\/span><\/p>\n

What should we expect from the creators of tomorrow?<\/span><\/p>\n

Somewhere in their words, there were clues.<\/span><\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”40px”]\"586_BrianScottPeterson_20251213_112A1580\"[vc_empty_space height=”40px”]

\n

From Materials to Meaning<\/span><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

When the FASHION FRONTIER PROGRAM first began around 2020, conversations around fashion were increasingly shaped by concern over environmental impact.<\/span><\/p>\n

Solutions were often framed through materials\u2014eco-friendly fabrics, recycling, upcycling.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Many applicants responded accordingly, approaching sustainability through technique.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But something has shifted.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

More and more, designers are not only working with materials, but with meaning\u2014connecting personal emotion to wider social contexts.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As Mitsuko Watanabe observed:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cFive years on, each designer\u2019s way of engaging with creativity and society is emerging in ways that genuinely move us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This shift signals a deepening\u2014not a rejection\u2014of sustainability, but an expansion of it.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hiroaki Miyata reflected on what had been missing:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cDiscussions on sustainability often overlooked the joy of wearing clothes, and the connections formed through communities.<\/span><\/p>\n

The question now is: how do we carry our roots\u2014our climate, our culture\u2014into the future, in a way that feels personal?<\/span><\/p>\n

Within this program, we are already beginning to see that.\u201d<\/span><\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”40px”]\"571_BrianScottPeterson_20251213_112A1486\"[vc_empty_space height=”40px”]\"578_BrianScottPeterson_20251213_112A1532\"[vc_empty_space height=”40px”]

\n

Responsibility as Practice<\/span><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

For Yuima Nakazato, the act of making is inseparable from responsibility:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cAs designers, we must create with a full awareness of the responsibility of bringing something into the world.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But this responsibility is not abstract.<\/span><\/p>\n

It lives in decisions.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIf we begin to shift each decision within the process of making\u2014even in small ways\u2014we can change the future.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is where the FASHION FRONTIER PROGRAM distinguishes itself\u2014not as an award alone, but as a space for learning, for reflection, for recalibration.<\/span><\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”40px”]\"575_BrianScottPeterson_20251213_112A1514\"[vc_empty_space height=”40px”]

\n

A Growing Community<\/span><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Over time, something else has emerged.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Not just individual designers\u2014but a network.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Participants, jurors, and partner organizations have formed an evolving ecosystem, one that Miyata describes as:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cA community.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And more than that:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the initiatives of FASHION FRONTIER PROGRAM are woven into society, they gain deeper meaning.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is becoming a platform that connects to the future.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hirofumi Kurino pushed this even further:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThe program has reached a point where it engages sustainability in a truly radical way.<\/span><\/p>\n

Creation, in essence, is a form of problem-solving.<\/span><\/p>\n

The future of fashion may require us to question not only design, but philosophy, social systems\u2014even capitalism itself.\u201d<\/span><\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”40px”]\"592_BrianScottPeterson_20251213_112A1610\"[vc_empty_space height=”40px”]

\n

Redefining Excellence<\/span><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

One of the most resonant ideas in the discussion was the need to redefine what we value.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Choreographer and opera director Nanine Linning offered a reframing:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cExcellence used to mean devotion at any cost.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, it should be measured by a clear vision, and a sense of responsibility toward others and the wider world.<\/span><\/p>\n

Creativity and social responsibility are not in opposition.<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, responsibility sharpens creativity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This is not a compromise.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is a shift in what we consider meaningful work.<\/span><\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”40px”]\"593_BrianScottPeterson_20251213_112A1624\"[vc_empty_space height=”40px”]

\n

On Continuity<\/span><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Contemporary artist Eugene Kangawa spoke from a place close to the applicants themselves:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I am close in age to many of the designers, I understand the difficulty\u2014the uncertainty.<\/span><\/p>\n

What matters most is continuity.<\/span><\/p>\n

To believe in your own potential, and to continue.<\/span><\/p>\n

And to ask: are you yourself sustainable?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Not just the work.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the person making it.<\/span><\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”40px”]\"598_BrianScottPeterson_20251213_112A1649\"[vc_empty_space height=”40px”]

\n

The Courage to Continue<\/span><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

As the session drew to a close, the jury turned toward the future\u2014not with answers, but with invitations.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mitsuko Watanabe addressed a quiet anxiety many young designers carry:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cI see young people asking, \u2018Can I create something meaningful?\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

That fear is not a weakness\u2014it is a starting point.<\/span><\/p>\n

Creativity is a statement toward society.<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t stop because of fear.<\/span><\/p>\n

Begin from it. Step forward with courage. And continue.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n



<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”40px”]\"583_BrianScottPeterson_20251213_112A1558\"[vc_empty_space height=”40px”]

Hiroaki Miyata pointed to a rapidly changing landscape:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWith generative AI, the role of the creator will change dramatically.<\/span><\/p>\n

What becomes essential is the ability to ask questions.<\/span><\/p>\n

This program has always been centered on that.<\/span><\/p>\n

We cannot escape the act of wearing clothes.<\/span><\/p>\n

So let\u2019s continue asking\u2014together\u2014how that act connects to the future.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hirofumi Kurino added, almost provocatively:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cUsing AI to reduce mistakes is not wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n

But if creativity disappears, that is the real mistake.<\/span><\/p>\n

So\u2014make mistakes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Eugene Kangawa returned to a simple, unwavering idea:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBelieve in what you are doing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Have a philosophy.<\/span><\/p>\n

And continue.\u201d<\/span><\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”40px”]\"589_BrianScottPeterson_20251213_112A1599\"[vc_empty_space height=”40px”]

Nanine Linning brought it back to something more instinctive:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cTo create, you must be free.<\/span><\/p>\n

You must be authentic.<\/span><\/p>\n

You must love what you do.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where is that found?<\/span><\/p>\n

In what brings you joy. That is everything.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And finally, Yuima Nakazato reflected on this year\u2019s Grand Prix winner:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was remarkable was not only the materials or techniques, but that she designed the relationship between people and clothing.<\/span><\/p>\n

At a time when materials, technologies, and silhouettes feel exhausted, she opened a new path.<\/span><\/p>\n

These perspectives may not immediately align with economic logic\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

but it is essential that there are places where such work can exist.\u201d<\/span><\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”40px”]\"585_BrianScottPeterson_20251213_112A1575\"[vc_empty_space height=”40px”]

\n

Not an Answer, but a Beginning<\/span><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

What emerged from this conversation was not a single direction, but a shared understanding:<\/span><\/p>\n

The future of fashion will not be defined by solutions alone,<\/span>
\n<\/span> but by the depth of the questions we are willing to hold.<\/span><\/p>\n

And perhaps that is what this program offers most:<\/span><\/p>\n

Not a conclusion\u2014<\/span>
\n<\/span> but a place to begin.<\/span><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]

\u25cf\u25cb\u2501\u2501\u2501\u2501\u2501\u2501\u2501\u2501\u2501\u2501\u2501\u2501\u2501\u2501\u25cb\u25cf<\/p>\n

\u3000\u3000FOLLOW US<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u25cf\u25cb\u2501\u2501\u2501\u2501\u2501\u2501\u2501\u2501\u2501\u2501\u2501\u2501\u2501\u2501\u25cb\u25cf<\/p>\n

Please follow FASHION FRONTIER PROGRAM on Instagram for the latest information.<\/p>\n

\u25b6\ufe0e\u25b6\ufe0eFFPInstagram\u3000 https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ffp.jp\/<\/a><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row row_padding_bottom=”padding-bottom-80″ css=”.vc_custom_1759891347361{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1748320180643{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”][wr_vc_titles text_align=”text-left” title_style=”headline-m” padding_top=”padding-top-30″ padding_bottom=”padding-bottom-30″][wr_vc_title title=”A Message to Future…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":207534298,"featured_media":10123,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"https:\/\/ffp.jp\/?p=10121","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[124857],"tags":[124910],"class_list":["post-10146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","tag-ffp2025","en-US"],"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/ffp.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/567_BrianScottPeterson_20251213_112A1470.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pd8b80-2DE","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ffp.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ffp.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ffp.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ffp.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/207534298"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ffp.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10146"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/ffp.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10146\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10155,"href":"https:\/\/ffp.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10146\/revisions\/10155"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ffp.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ffp.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ffp.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ffp.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}