Could Japanese wrestling become fashion’s new favorite sport?

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It may have been day three of Frieze, but Thursday night, London’s fashion community came together for a very different kind of event. Queues snaked through the streets of east London as editors, influencers and megafans attended Sukeban – a new Japanese women’s wrestling league launched by designer Olympia Le-Tan and her brother-in-law Alex Detrick in 2022. Inside, the wrestlers strutted their stuff on a catwalk . the ring to thunderous applause, wearing custom costumes designed by Le-Tan, makeup by world-renowned makeup artist Dame Pat McGrath and products from buzzy London streetwear brand Aries. This wasn’t a normal wrestling match.

Thursday night followed a series of sold-out events in the American cities of New York, Miami and Los Angeles, each attracting different fashion and beauty partners that have so far included makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench, industrial designer Marc Newson, music artist Saweetie, independent fashion brand Soft Skin Latex. , milliner Stephen Jones, visual artist Ayako Ishiguro, fashion brand Yagi Boy Collective and cult nail artist Mei Kawajiri.

From Loewe’s collaboration with Studio Ghibli on its ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ collection to Jimmy Choo x Sailor Moon, luxury fashion brands are increasingly inspired by Japanese culture (and subculture). At the same time, fashion brands are increasingly looking to sports niches to build cultural prestige among dedicated consumer subsets. Could Japanese women’s wrestling become fashion and beauty’s new favorite sport?

A Canvas for Creativity

He certainly has the credentials. Sukeban’s in-house team is also a who’s who of fashion and beauty leaders. Le-Tan has been a fashion designer for decades, first for his namesake brand and now for his new homeware brand, The Hotel Olympia. Revered London artistic director Jamie Reid Studio designed Sukeban’s bold electric pink graphics, while manga artist Sakana Kouji contributed drawings for promotional materials.

“Sukeban is entertainment. It’s also sport, but mostly, we use it as a platform to engage all these creative people. That turns it into something much bigger and more interesting for people who aren’t necessarily wrestling fans,” says Le-Tan. “Some people are very interested in the fashion side. Some people are interested in beauty. Many people are interested in the action – it becomes a cultural exchange.”