FASHION FRONTIER PROGRAM 2025 Award Recipients Announced

Final Review and Award Ceremony for FASHION FRONTIER PROGRAM 2025 Held

On December 13, FASHION FRONTIER PROGRAM held its final selection and awards ceremony for the 2025 edition at TOKYO NODE HALL, located in Toranomon Hills, Tokyo.
Dedicated to nurturing and supporting fashion designers who balance social responsibility with creativity, FASHION FRONTIER PROGRAM marks its fifth anniversary this year. To commemorate this milestone, the final presentations and award ceremony were, for the first time, opened to the general public.

The venue, TOKYO NODE HALL, is situated on the 46th floor of Toranomon Hills Station Tower. Through the glass walls behind the works, the city of Tokyo—one of the world’s centers of trends and consumption—unfolded below.

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Following an open call for applications that began in April, candidates progressed through document screening, an education program, and the second selection. The eight finalists who completed their works approached the final presentation with a balance of composure and quiet determination.

The 2025 finalists and their works are the following:

Alicja Kamaj: “Surrender”

Ao Umeiya: “MUSUHI”

Emily Misaki Hon: “Relics”

Gerald Brandstätter: “ReBloom / Itadori”

Hideki Morimoto: “OSHIRASAMA”

Hikari Hayashi: “Reframing”

Kazusa Horikawa: “suku”

Nao Taki: “Wrap me up !”

▼Works of the 8 finalists (designers from left: Nao Taki, Alicja Kamaj, Gerald Brandstätter, Hikari Hayashi, Hideki Morimoto, Ao Umeiya, Kazusa Horikawa, Emily Misaki Hon)

The jury of 2025 consisted of Yuima Nakazato (fashion designer), Eugene Kangawa (contemporary artist), Hirofumi Kurino (Senior Advisor, UNITED ARROWS LTD. In charge of creative direction), Koichi Goka (Specially Appointed Researcher, Biodiversity Division,Div. NIES, Japan), Hiroaki Miyata (Prof. School of Medicine, Keio University), Mitsuko Watanabe (fashion journalist), Sara Sozzani Maino (Creative Director Fondazione Sozzani), and Nanine Linning (Artistic Director Scapino Ballet Rotterdam and Opera Direct).

The final selection was intense, with discussions continuing even as the scheduled end time approached.

Beyond the works and presentations themselves, the jury considered broader questions, such as each designer’s long-term potential and whether their passion for making clothes could be sustained into the future. The responsibility of selecting individuals who may help shape the future of the fashion industry was a central point of discussion.

The Grand Prize was awarded to Hikari Hayashi for “Reframing”.

▼Grand Prize: Hikari Hayashi “Reframing”

The work deconstructs children’s garments and reconstructs them into upcycled clothing that can be worn by adults. Jury members praised the project for its deep consideration of the relationship between the body and clothing (Ms. Watanabe), its presentation of a new approach to upcycling (Mr. Kurino), and its strong communication skills, extending from model selection to styling (Mr. Nakazato). The award also reflected expectations for Hayashi’s continued commitment to making clothes and the resilience required to pursue beauty and creation over time.

The Runner-up awards were presented to Nao Taki for “Wrap me up !” and Emily Misaki Hon for “Relics”.

▼Runner-up: Nao Taki “Wrap me up !”

Taki expressed the joy of wearing clothes through colorful knitwear made from leftover yarns. The work was selected for its fresh perspectives on size and gender, as well as for its uniqueness in allowing new forms of expression depending on how it is styled. It was also praised for its strong sense of form in relation to the body, with jury member Mitsuko Watanabe noting that it demonstrates “a keen sensitivity to how clothing takes shape on the body.

▼Runner-up: Emily Misaki Hon “Relics”

Hon’s work reconstructed garments left behind by her grandfather, weaving personal memories into the pieces. The jury highlighted the poetic sensibility of the work (Ms. Watanabe), the potential of its material process combining eucalyptus and mycelium leather (Ms. Linning), and its ability to resonate beyond a personal narrative (Mr. Kurino) to convey a universal message.

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FASHION FRONTIER PROGRAM is not merely an award that evaluates creative output. It requires participants to engage deeply with questions of social responsibility. In a contemporary society where diverse social issues are increasingly visible, designers are challenged to identify the issues they feel personally connected to and translate them into fashion works.

Throughout the program, finalists are supported by creators, experts, and partner companies who accompany them in this process. The mutual learning and constructive competition among finalists also contributed significantly to the refinement of both their works and concepts, as reflected in their final presentations.

As the award ceremony began, night had fallen, and the illuminated cityscape of Tokyo formed a quiet backdrop to the works on display.