Shogo Yanagi is the chief director of Fake Tokyo, a creative collective and showroom stocking up-and-coming labels.
Launched in 2010, Fake Tokyo brings together two cult stores — Sister and Candy. The group also handles PR, distribution and consulting, with the aim of bringing community and creativity back to the city. “We want to make this place a cultural hub — a platform, where we can introduce people to our point of view,” Yanagi told American Vogue in an interview.
Combatting the influx of fast-fashion stores that have diluted the once eccentric subcultures and tribes of Tokyo, Fake Tokyo stocks labels with a sense of individuality and experimental design.
Eckhaus Latta, oga, Sadie Williams and Rejina Pyo fill the showroom, alongside up and coming Japanese labels, many of which are discovered straight out of school. 2017 LVMH Prize finalists Kozaburo and Ambush can also be found there.
“I try to pay attention to new brands,” Yanagi told Amazon Fashion in an interview. “I don’t simply look for young brands, but base my decisions on whether the brand expresses itself properly. I would like to be the gateway to success for young brands.”
Yanagi began his career while at university, working in avant-garde concept store Gypsy. After graduating, he went to work with Nicola Formichetti at his store Side by Side, shortly before its closure. He then joined Candy, directing buying and PR for the store, before establishing Fake Tokyo.
