LAST week's Tokyo Fashion Week (officially called 'Japan Fashion Week in Tokyo' or JFW for short) was meant to be the time where everything good took place: cool new fashion on offer, the end of the blistering cold that Winter was and of course, birds chirping because the much-anticipated Spring season - and Sakura blossoms - had finally arrived. But instead, a late Spring meant that grey skies were a given and the constant rain ended up casting a decided pall on what should otherwise have been a fairytale week in the city.

In many ways, the weather was strangely representative of JFW, which despite the country's reputation as a hotbed for cutting-edge designers, has largely remained an internal affair, capturing little international attention even after 10 years in existence.

With nary a big international fashion editor nor celebrity in sight, it is probably fair to say that Spring, has yet to come for JFW.

When one starts to think about it, this hardly makes any sense. After all, Tokyo, is one of the fashion capitals of the world, one that has always been at the absolute forefront of fashion. So, for it to play host to a fashion week with a glamour quotient that is barely even an iota of what you find at the other fashion weeks in Paris, Milan, New York and London, is very, very odd indeed.

One might speculate that the reason for a lack of excitement for JFW is because most of the country's noteworthy designers such as Yohji Yamamoto, Commes des Garcons, Junya Watanabe and more recently Tsumori Chisato have eschewed JFW in favour of Paris - the grande dame of all fashion weeks.
 That is not to say that there is no talent in Tokyo. In fact, if the Autumn/Winter '10 collection showings during JFW last week were anything to go by, Japan is absolutely awash with talent, only that nobody's there to see them.

The general impression that people tend to have of Japanese fashion is that it is either very conceptual or outlandish as is exemplified by those who show in Paris and that JFW would be awash with the same, a torch that was carried on in JFW by mercibeaucoup (stocked at Black Jack) that produced a fun-loving collection filled with prints and irreverence that it will put a smile on anyone's face.

With that in mind however, it was thus slightly surprising to find that some of the best collections to show during JFW were - contrary to what was expected - those who understood the beauty of simplicity.

One such designer is Norio Surikabe who started Support Surface (stocked locally at Tyan) after many years in Italy where he worked as the chief designer of NN studio, the original brand of the well-known concept boutique 10 CORSO COMO in Milan and Alberto Biani. Though simple and classic at first sight, his work stands out in that unlike most designers who design two dimensionally on paper, Surikabe designs three dimensionally on mannequins, allowing him to play with and come up with interesting new silhouettes.

For AW'10, Surikabe worked around the theme 'naked' - not so much naked as in birthday suit, but naked as in pure, which is unsurprising because Surikabe does not believe in accessories nor adornments, preferring to let his pieces speak for themselves. And they do, or at least once you put them on, because they're tailored so sharply and designed in a way that is so fresh (the hems, stitching and folds are never where you expect them to be) and flattering that the clothes become talking points themselves.

And then there is MIHARAYASUHIRO (stocked at Club 21), the eponymous label of Yasuhiro Mihara. Describing his design philosophy as 'sublime meets ridiculous', Mihara kept his silhouettes simple, choosing instead to play with different fabric textures to create each distinct look. The final result was a very wearable, but at the same time, very desirable collection.

Others that stood out included monotari ono who toned down the kawaii (cute) factor to produce a lovable collection with just the right amount of bows and ruffles and Hideaki Sakaguchi's The Dress & Co that showed a collection so grounded and earthy (almost like a Japanese version of what Hermes would produce) that could only be created by a designer who lived and breathed the idea of 'classic'.

One thing that does strike you when looking through the collections produced by many of the Japanese designers, is that each piece is produced with such thought and military precision (incidentally, nearly every fashion show during JFW starts no later than five minutes after it is scheduled - an impossibility anywhere else in the world) that it is almost scary.

It is however, a trait that could end up a bit of a liability for them. The reason for this is simple: Japanese designers though creative, end up finding it really difficult to produce commercially viable clothing, sometimes because they overthink their designs.

Just ask Parisian-based Japanese designer Yukiko Tsunoda (her label Tsunoda is stocked at Tyan) who remembers how much of a pressure cooker the Japanese design scene can be in forcing you to be as conceptual - but not necessarily as sellable - as possible.

'Being conceptual doesn't necessarily translate into sales because you end up producing clothes that may look outstanding, but that people won't buy because they are simply not comfortable nor wearable,' she recalls. 'Now, I take a more relaxed attitude to designing and I find that people like them better because my clothes are chic, but easy to wear.'

According to industry players, it doesn't help that it is not easy making a living as a designer in Tokyo to begin with. In a city where the costs of living and labour are high, many designers are finding it difficult to make ends meet. Cost also explains why the younger Japanese designers have a tough time breaking into the international market.

'There are many young Japanese designers who try to come to Paris and sell their clothes, but only a few have survived over the years,' explains Tsunoda. 'It's not because they're not talented, but because they don't have the deep enough pockets to keep coming back for more than a few seasons, which is necessary to instill confidence in buyers who want to see that a brand has longevity.'

But those who do spend some time abroad alwas manage to take something back from it.

'I always say that before my time in Italy, I only had one eye open because Japan is an island,' says Surikabe in Japanese. 'Spending time abroad allowed me to see the rest of the world and that has helped me to gain a more international perspective when it comes to my designs.'

Adds Mihara: 'In every city, there are people who love fashion and creation. But the atmosphere changes with each of the fashion weeks and the cultures of each of these cities are also different, so when I present my collections, be it in Tokyo, Milan or Paris, I take a bit of that experience back with me.'

Meanwhile, all it takes is one look at the streets of Tokyo that continue to bubble with fashion energy, thanks to the crazy dressers flooding Harajuku, the fashionistas crowding Omotesando Hills and the classy tastemakers strolling along Roppongi Hills and you know that despite a slightly lacklustre JFW, this is a city where people live and breathe fashion.

As JFW drew to an end, so did the blistering cold and as the sun shone on and the Sakura blossoms began to bloom for what should be the fashion capital of the East, one could only say a silent prayer, that Spring will come earlier for Tokyo and its fashion next time around.

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This article was first published in The Business Times.