Natural Born Nomads: Behind the Scenes of the Show

September 10, 2026

This is Kubo. On August 31, 2026, I was finally able to present the "yoshiokubo Spring/Summer 2027 Collection" at Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO. Thank you once again to everyone who attended.

This time, I'd like to look back at the behind-the-scenes of the show.

Structuring a show is always difficult!
~The style discovered after repeated "experimental presentations"~

I’ve held many shows by now, but the biggest challenge is always, "How can I get people to look at the clothes I’ve created?"
I think about the show's structure to achieve that, but translating an image into the real world is rarely straightforward. Considering the points for improvement in the clothes, the way they are shown, and the parts that must be compromised to some extent... I feel like I scored about 80 points this time.

Looking back, I feel that recently, we have taken quite experimental approaches, such as our collaboration with Yoshimoto Shinkigeki, turning the long-established amusement park "Asakusa Hanayashiki" into a runway, and "Red Bull BC One," which fused fashion with breakdancing.
Each had its meaning. In the Red Bull collaboration, in particular, I wanted people to actually see "how these clothes look in a certain scene," so we tried "recreating that scene" as a result of thinking about how to show that. In that sense, it was never just "doing something interesting for the sake of buzz," but I did receive feedback saying, "I want to see the clothes more clearly..."

I am certainly grateful for that feedback.

So, from that, my thinking evolved: "After over 20 years of experience, I’ve realized that fashion isn't just about the clothes. The atmosphere, the vibe, the PR method, or even the advertising and image, all have a huge impact on the clothes." On the other hand, my core starting point has always been to incorporate new details to create "interesting clothes." I have tried various ways of presenting them, but in the end, I felt more strongly that "I must create clothes that are so good that if I just show them as they are, people will think, 'Wow, what interesting clothes!'" That was the starting point for this show’s structure.

In that sense, I think this show allowed people to focus more on clothes created with the expressions that have become characteristics of yoshiokubo—streamlined transitions and cuttings that I excel at and have continued to do for a long time—which you all have accepted and purchased.

Yoshio Kubo explains the yoshiokubo show

Let's delve a little deeper into the stage and the show's "explanation."

The key to the stage this time was the pure white flooring and the high light intensity that reflected it well! I wanted to create a crisp, white space by boosting the level from 50 to 80, creating an atmosphere where the models wearing the clothes would stand out. I think we achieved a perfect state on the day after repeated adjustments with the lighting staff.

Another point is that there is no doubt that a fashion show is "a form of entertainment," so I put a lot of focus on the rhythm and tempo to ensure the viewers didn't get bored or lose focus.

Due to the flow of the show, the time the audience had to see each outfit as they appeared was at most about 9 to 10 seconds. I thought that anything longer might make the audience feel a lag, wondering "what's next?", so I changed the timing by just one second from the very beginning of the show. Just that slight adjustment made it fit perfectly with the music, so I’m glad I tweaked it until the very end.

Continuously watching clothes can be surprisingly monotonous, and you start to want some kind of change; if they don't keep coming one after another, people might end up looking at their phones.

On a flat stage like Hikarie, it is also important not to let the audience and models get too close, as it can make things feel too mundane. This time, we did very detailed spatial design, placing chairs 50cm from the edge of the floor and having the models walk 1m inside the edge. I felt once again that using such spatial subtleties to enhance tension is important for a presentation.

Trial and error brings the stage concept to life, and staff effort completes it safely

What I struggled with until the very end was the final act of the show: the footprint performance.
When I first thought about the composition, I wanted to have ink smeared on the soles of the models' shoes just before they went out onto the stage so that footprints would be left along the path... but when it came to actually doing it, it turned out that the footprints wouldn't come out clean. They would smudge or fade away, meaning it wouldn't look the way I intended depending on where the audience was sitting.

So, after discussing various ideas, we decided to change course to "a trick where footprints are pre-applied to the floor with fluorescent paint, and they emerge the moment the lights go down at the end of the show." I was told that the special fluorescent paint used was safe for skin contact. Being able to secure this was a big deal.

However, I realized that to pull off the footprint effect, I had to keep the room light intensity as low as possible until the show started to avoid "spoilers." We had to ask guests to be mindful of their feet until they were guided to their seats. Some people may have had a hard time finding their seats.

When the footprints clearly emerged at the end of the show and created an "ooh" effect, the staff backstage felt a sense of relief, thinking, "I'm glad it went exactly as intended!" That was the nature of the trick.

There were many "subtle intentions" in places that most people wouldn't even notice, so I had to give the staff various detailed instructions: "Don't let customers walk near the stage when they come in! Don't let them step on the footprint trick! You can illuminate the customers' feet with penlights, but don't illuminate the trick area!"

Seeing everything go according to plan is an unstoppable thrill for those of us involved. I believe that being able to have the audience get immersed, even for a moment, in the show unfolding before their eyes—through the timing and tempo of the models' appearances, the fusion with music, and perfectly executed lighting—is where the skill of those running the show is tested, so I am very happy to have received such diverse feedback this time as well.

Perhaps having people "analyze" a show like this is one way to enjoy a fashion show.

I want to use fluorescent paint!

As the show concludes with the designer's greeting, I wanted to leave some kind of impact, and I suddenly thought of a makeup skit performed by a certain comedian.

"I have fluorescent paint right here! I have to do that!"

So, I decided on a performance where Yoshio Kubo would appear, having had his face painted with fluorescent paint, on the stage where the footprints had emerged after the lights went down.

The makeup staff who came from Shiseido probably never imagined they would be applying fluorescent paint to a designer at the end of a fashion show, so they might have been taken aback. Since the key motif of the Spring/Summer 2027 Collection is "bones," I had them trace the facial bones.

I’m sure Yoshio Kubo's facial bones appearing in the darkness made quite an impact.

I might as well post a picture of it here.

I want people to see the actual details of the clothes!

After hearing about the show day, some of you might want to watch it again. I would be happy if you watched it as many times as you like.

You can find the video here.

For those who think, "The overall atmosphere of the show is nice, but I want to see the details of the clothes," we are holding a pre-order event for two days only, on Saturday, September 12, and Sunday, September 13, which is open to the public. You can see the full lineup of the collection, which is scheduled for release in about half a year, and we also plan to have items that did not appear in the show, so please come and visit us.