YUUNA ICHIKAWA AW'22 from AFC debuted in New York Fashion Week

YUUNA ICHIKAWA, one of the 6 finalist brands from Asia by "Asia Fashion Collection" (AFC)  debuted her 2022 Autumn and Winter collections during New York Fashion Week on 15th February 2022 (20.00 o’clock on 16 February in Japan time) under the theme "YOUTH IN HEART" at Gallery in Spring Studios, New York.

Established in 2020, Yuuna Ichikawa brand designer is inspired by Samuel Ullman's philosophies. Loie Fuller, a pioneer of modern dance, was chosen as the design source, and Patti Smith, known as the Queen of Punk, was chosen as her muse. 

After studying classical ballet for 11 years, Designer Ichikawa studied fashion under the influence of her mother, a freelance wedding dress pattern maker. She specializes in designs influenced by her mother and the experiences she gained from wearing stage costumes.

FW22 theme: YOUTH IN HEART

Yuuna Ichikawa felt uncomfortable with the concept of "student = youth,” so she wrote a poem that conveys that “youth is not a certain period of your life, but the way you feel in your heart.”

The designer resonated with and was inspired by Samuel Ullman, and eventually embodied his philosophies. Loie Fuller, a pioneer of modern dance, was chosen as the design source, and Patti Smith, known as the Queen of Punk, was chosen as her muse. Regardless of society's stumbling blocks, she breaks new ground, takes certain social situations as insanity, and pushes forward with that insanity and the youth of her spirit.

● Brand concept

Established in 2020, the brand YUUNA ICHIKAWA was born out of the idea of "creating a shock that would stir the lives of women who are strong and stand up for society” of the fashion show she attended, which shocked and inspired her to pursue a career in fashion. The designer aims to create a shock to YUUNA ICHIKAWA viewers and wearers and have them be shocked.

After studying classical ballet for 11 years, Ichikawa studied fashion under the influence of her mother, a freelance wedding dress pattern maker. She specializes in designs influenced by her mother and the experiences she gained from wearing stage costumes.

● Designer bio

Ichikawa graduated from Shiga Otsu High School, Department of Home Economics, and subsequently enrolled in Super Designer Department of Osaka Bunka Fashion College. Ichikawa won the YKK Fastening Awards in 2020 and 2021. She became a finalist at the International Digital Fashion Portfolio Award 2021, hosted by Graduate Fashion Foundation, and also received the second prize at the 2021 National Fashion Design Contest, Part 1 (Governor of Tokyo Award). In the same year, Ichikawa won the 2021 Dalian Cup International Youth Fashion Design Contest and the JFA Fur Design Contest.

Official YUUNA ICHIKAWA website: https://www.yuunaichikawa.com/

Asia Fashion Collection (AFC) website: https://asiafashioncollection.com/

Asia Fashion Collection presented 6 brands from Asia: COCOTONO by Kotono Fukazawa, YUUNA ICHIKAWA by Yuuna Ichikawa, DOKKA by Nodoka Sugaucih and Akiho Ka, SUNG JU by Sung Ju Lee from South Korea, WooLeeX by duo designers; Yu Nung (Jerry) Hsieh and Ming Jo (Cynthia) Hsieh from Taiwan, GLENDA GARCIA by New York-based designer Glenda Garcia, originally from Indonesia.

inStyle Asia