Tomo Koizumi takes New York Fashion Week by Storm

Tomo Koizumi’s New York Fashion Week 2019 debut was the stuff of fashion fairy tales.  At the lower level of Marc Jacobs’s Madison Avenue store, fashion industry insiders lined up against the wall in the standing-room only show to witness Tokyo-based designer Koizumi’s first-ever runway show.

Koizumi, who has designed pieces for Lady Gaga and a slew of Japanese pop stars, scored big models like Bella Hadid, Joan Smalls, and Emily Ratajkowski to strut his stuff.  They gracefully swanned down a flight of stairs and around the intimate space dressed in voluminous, colorful confections decorated with extravagant mille-feuille-like layering. And in a dramatic finale, “Game of Thrones” star Gwendoline Christie closed the show dressed in a gigantic rainbow gown.

Some called the dresses “loofah-like,” but no matter how you describe them, the experience was pure magic.

But for Koizumi, it was perhaps even more so, having been discovered — according to Vogue — by celebrity stylist and Love magazine editor Katie Grand. Grand reportedly messaged him on Instagram a month ago asking if he would want to show a collection during New York Fashion Week.

From there, Grand enlisted a top-tier team — including Jacobs, whose Madison Avenue boutique hosted the show. Celebrity makeup artist Pat McGrath lent her talents, while coiffeur Guido Palau did the hair — a slick, minimal, shorn look styled with fringed bangs, leaving some models practically unrecognizable in the sea of snow cone-inspired frocks.

The show left an impact on show attendees, but also on social media: Right after the show, Koizumi had about 3,000 followers. His following has since sky-rocketed, and he’s now got more than 18,000.  A fashion star is born.

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Photo Credit: Marc Venema / Shutterstock.com