At Tokyo’s prestigious Bunka Fashion College, students concentrate in silence broken only by the sound of scissors and sewing machines as they strive to emulate the global success of alumni like Kenzo.

The loss of greats Kenzo Takada and Issey Miyake heralds the end of a fashion era, decades after Japanese design revolutionized the Parisian catwalks in the 1970s and 1980s.

And the French capital remains a destination for emerging talent like Bunka graduate Takuya Morikawa, whose streetwear-inspired tailoring made its Paris Fashion Week debut two years ago.

Morikawa, 40, hopes his shows at the industry’s top event will lead to “an amazing future beyond my wildest dreams”.

Before founding his label TAAKK in 2013, Morikawa spent eight years in Miyake’s studio, working on runway collections and the famous Pleats Please line, but also harvesting rice and making paper to learn about traditional craft methods.

He told AFP he was saddened by Miyake’s death this summer, but implored younger designers not to feel discouraged.

“We must do our best so that the deaths of these designers do not affect the fashion world. If that happens, it means we’re doing our job poorly,” he said.

One of the big names taking the baton is Nigo, who rose to fame with his streetwear brand A Bathing Ape in the 1990s.

The designer, who also studied at Bunka and whose real name is Tomoaki Nagao, was appointed artistic director at Kenzo last year after founder Takada died of Covid-19 in 2020.

Another Japanese label with international success is Sacai, founded in 1999 by Chitose Abe, who was tapped as Jean Paul Gaultier’s first guest couture designer.

Kenzo and textile visionary Miyake achieved enormous influence by pursuing their passion in Paris, as did haute couture pioneer Hanae Mori, who died in August.

What remains are Yohji Yamamoto, now 79, and 80-year-old Rei Kawakubo, founder of Comme des Garcons, which shook up the fashion establishment in the early 1980s.

According to Bunka President Sachiko Aihara, new challenges, including the wide range of styles now available to suit all tastes, have made it harder for emerging designers to attract global attention.

“The world was shocked” by avant-garde Japanese design, she said, recalling how her students began to dress in black after Yamamoto launched his first monochromatic clothing line.

“But we no longer live in a time where one designer comes up with a collection and everyone wears it,” she said at the school, whose basement archive is packed with valuable garments for students and teachers to study.

That’s because of the explosion of different types of clothing, “not a decline in talent,” Aihara stressed, adding that it is now also essential to study business administration in order to establish a competitive brand.

Designer Mariko Nakayama, who spent decades working as a stylist on Tokyo’s fashion scene, also recalls “goosebumps” when she first wore Comme des Garcons.

However, she agrees that the industry is different now.

“For example, when I look at Virgil Abloh for Louis Vuitton, I feel like this is an editing era,” she said at her boutique in Tokyo’s upscale Omotesando district, where designers make modern twists on classic shapes and patterns.

Working in Paris, London, New York or Milan is still considered the key to success for Japanese designers, said Aya Takeshima, 35, who studied at Central Saint Martins in the British capital.

Takeshima’s recent show at Tokyo Fashion Week for her brand Ayame featured women wearing sheer blouses and embossed dresses, while male models donned delicate dresses.

She told AFP she decided to study abroad to “learn what it takes to be an independent designer,” adding that the experience helped her understand different perspectives.

“Honestly, I think it would be difficult” to be successful internationally while only working in Japan, she said.

“In Japan, it felt like technique was drummed into you first, while ideas and concepts were…secondary,” but in London it was the other way around, Takeshima explained.

Bunka College recognizes these benefits and plans to offer a study abroad scholarship as part of its centenary celebrations next year.

For 21-year-old Natalia Sato, a student at Bunka, Miyake and the old guard of Japanese designers brought “many Japanese and Eastern values” to the world, including techniques inspired by “fine” traditional craftsmanship.

“I worry that the foundation they’ve built will be destroyed by their deaths,” but “at the same time, this is a tipping point” that could offer new creative opportunities, she said.

“It’s a chance for me to think about how we can create new value.”