Fashion Wunderkind Tomo Koizumi Just Launched a Bridal Collection at New York Fashion Week

From Harper's BAZAAR

This season's New York Fashion Week was unlike any other. Almost entirely virtual, designers dispersed lookbooks, hosted socially-distanced shows, and most showcased collections inspired by wanderlust, or fit for a clientele prepared to don "sweatpants forever."

But it's hard to forget the spectacular shows that once made New York Fashion Week so special, like epic presentations in the city's landmark buildings and the breakout stars that emerged each and every season. During the Fall/Winter 2019 collections, Tomo Koizumi was one such sensation. Koizumi showcased his frilly, frothy, and dramatic silhouettes of pleated and tiered tulle at Marc Jacobs' Madison Avenue store. Superstar models Bella Hadid and Joan Smalls walked the runway, along with Game of Thrones' Gwendoline Christie, who closed the show.

In a sea of practicality, and utilitarian uniformity, Tomo Koizumi stood out in New York. His designs are for dreams, fantasies, and all things fanciful; bold in color palette, silhouette, and volume, these looks are for the Lady Gagas of the fashion set. Gaga did, indeed, don one of Koizumi's confections on a visit to Tokyo in 2016, before he made his mark stateside.

But with the mid-pandemic landscape ridding designers (for the most part) of their theatrics, most are focusing on ease and wearability. Koizumi, it seems, has done the same—in his own way, per usual. For Spring 2021, the designer launched his most wearable options yet: bridal, in collaboration with Japanese bridal retailer and atelier, Treat.

Tomo Koizumi for Treat Maison is a wedding capsule collection presented in conjunction with the brand's Spring 2021 collection. The 8-look collection pairs Japanese design elements (and Koizumi's signature frills and color pops) with modern, Western-influenced silhouettes. Interested in exploring "wedding costume," Koizumi partnered with Treat to produce his pieces. "I was interested in looking at the history of wedding dressing in Japan and I wanted to challenge myself in a new field," Koizumi said. "In my experience, truly good things can be appreciated regardless of nationality, gender, age, industry, religion, or any other boundary, and I wanted to bring that to the wedding industry in Japan and worldwide." The result, it seems, does its job defying boundaries while still retaining traditional elements of wedding dressing in both cultures.

And with customs in mind, these gowns are designed to be re-worn again and again. Japanese bridal salons, like The Treat Dressing and Miss Treat, operate via a sustainable rental model, with each bride being able to tailor the dress for her wedding with temporary alterations, before returning it to the atelier for the next bride. Outside of Japan, the gowns will be available via special order, with prices starting at approximately $6,000. Standouts in the collection include Kimono-inspired pops of reds, blues, and greens; an all-over ruffle gown with a plunging neckline, and and off-shoulder A-line with a ruffled hem.

Calling all daring brides: consider these styles for the ceremony before perusing Koizumi's Spring 2021 collection of ruffled metallic mini dresses for the after party.

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