Meet the Next Wave from the School That Gave Us Yohji and Junya

If London has CSM and Paris has IFM, Tokyo has Bunka Fashion College. Founded in 1923, Bunka built its reputation as Japan’s most influential incubator of talent on razor-sharp technical training paired with the kind of conceptual boldness that sparks entire movements. Its alumni list is more of a hall of fame: Yohji Yamamoto, Kenzo Takada, Junya Watanabe, Tsumori Chisato, Jun Takahashi, Nigo—designers who have, beyond defining Japanese fashion globally, reshaped how the world dresses. 

That same fearlessness ran through this year’s graduating MA class. Three designers stood out. Rikia Ishida staged a dialogue between subcultures, splicing punk sensibility with 17th-century romance—tartan clashing with powdered silhouettes. Wakana Hamabe pushed leather and corsetry into the realm of streetwear, producing silhouettes that felt equal parts armor and attitude. Karin Tsujino went full neon dystopia, layering mesh and ruffles in highlighter tones, carved into warped proportions where transparency revealed and concealed at once. 

Bunka’s new generation isn’t playing safe. These collections tested extremes—hard and soft, street and stage, past and future. Scroll on for the rest of Bunka’s exceptional graduating class.