The international art fair Tokyo Gendai, where some of the world’s most notable contemporary art comes together under one roof, was held at PACIFICO Yokohama. Amid a lineup of world-renowned galleries from Japan and abroad, GOCA by GARDE, which arrived from New York, participated in collaboration with Koichi Yamamura Gallery, presenting and selling works by Yuken Teruya.
Based between Okinawa and Berlin, Teruya is an internationally acclaimed artist known for his witty and critical installations that explore themes such as Okinawa’s history, social systems, geopolitics, and consumerism. His works have been featured in prestigious museums and exhibitions around the world, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Centre Pompidou-Metz.
During the VIP Preview and Vernissage on September 11, art collectors and industry professionals gathered to explore the exhibits of all 66 participating galleries. The GOCA booth welcomed a large number of visitors and achieved strong sales results. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who visited and supported us at the event.
Tokyo Gendai 2025 Exhibition Overview (Exhibition Closed)
Dates: September 11 (Thu) – 14 (Sat), 2025
Venue: PACIFICO Yokohama
Official Website: https://tokyogendai.com/
GARDE and TOKYO MODE GAKUEN, a professional college that cultivates talent ready to excel in fashion, design, business, interior, graphic, and beauty industries, are launching the “Digital Fashion Award” as a new industry–academia collaboration project.
As the first initiative, a free event titled “The Present and Future of Digital Fashion Development” will be held at TOKYO MODE GAKUEN Hall A on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, alongside the preliminary judging for the award.
About the “Digital Fashion Award”
In recent years, the fashion industry has rapidly adopted the 3D development tool “CLO”. However, its use often remains limited to sample production or internal reviews, and has yet to be fully leveraged for new revenue opportunities such as marketing, e-commerce, or metaverse deployment.
Through this project, GARDE and TOKYO MODE GAKUEN aim to explore the potential for secondary utilization and monetization of digital assets, using the creativity of next-generation student designers as the foundation.
Under the theme “Casual Party on Metaverse” (avatar fashion for a casual party in the metaverse), approximately 80 student design sketches were submitted. Ten designs will be selected and converted into CLO data. During the event, participants will cast votes in an interim judging session.
The top five designs, chosen through audience voting, will be implemented in Fortnite, the online game operated by Epic Games, and unveiled in early 2026 through a virtual runway that fuses gaming and fashion. The grand prize-winning design will be decided from among these finalists.
Background of the GARDE × TOKYO MODE GAKUEN Collaboration
This initiative leverages the strengths of both institutions to highlight new possibilities for fashion in the age of the metaverse.
TOKYO MODE GAKUEN has developed an educational curriculum utilizing CLO to nurture practical digital fashion skills among students, broadening career paths beyond apparel into digital, gaming, and IT fields.
Meanwhile, GARDE, with 11 global offices and extensive experience in spatial design, has also been developing projects that merge physical and digital realms, such as the COCOWARP Virtual Museum. For this award, GARDE will oversee the Fortnite implementation and venue design, ensuring that garment details are faithfully reproduced.
By combining student creativity with GARDE’s technical expertise, the award goes beyond academic training to provide hands-on professional experience. It also offers students valuable exposure to industry partners while enabling the fashion sector to explore new models for digital asset utilization.
Panel Discussion: “The Present and Future of Digital Fashion Development”
The event will feature a panel discussion with leading voices from the metaverse industry, exploring the latest trends and opportunities in digital fashion development.
Traditionally, 3D data and development tools have been adopted primarily as cost-saving measures. This session will explore how these assets can instead be transformed into marketing and monetization tools in the metaverse era.
Key discussion points include:
“Are you leaving your 3D data unused within your company?”
“Have you struggled to see results from implementation and hesitated to take the next step?”
Panelists will share concrete strategies and business models for transforming digital fashion into a core revenue source, creating a cross-industry dialogue on fashion DX and the next stage of digital innovation.
Panelists: CLO Virtual Fashion Japan – Emily Choi, Ami Kamiyama
GARDE – Takuji Kakuda
Event Overview
Target Audience: Apparel companies; digital and metaverse-related businesses Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2025 Time: 13:00–15:00 (Doors open at 12:50) Venue: TOKYO MODE GAKUEN Hall A Address: 1-7-3 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023 Access:https://www.mode.ac.jp/tokyo/access
Program:
12:50 Doors open
13:00 Opening remarks / Introduction of the TOKYO MODE GAKUEN × GARDE collaboration
Student presentations of award entries
13:30 Panel discussion: “The Present and Future of Digital Fashion Development”
14:10 Networking session / Interim judging for the award
14:50 Closing remarks
Please register via the form above. Registration will close once capacity is reached.
About TOKYO MODE GAKUEN Located just three minutes on foot from Shinjuku Station, TOKYO MODE GAKUEN is a professional college that fosters industry-ready professionals across fashion, design, business, interior, graphics, and beauty.
With an industry-integrated curriculum, it has achieved a 100% job placement rate for 18 consecutive years (since FY2007).
Its three major guarantee systems — the “Complete Employment Guarantee,” “National Qualification Pass Guarantee,” and “Salary Guarantee” — demonstrate its confidence in student outcomes.
Website：https://www.mode.ac.jp/tokyo
From October 10 (Fri) to October 22 (Wed), 2025, GARDE Gallery will host “Garden of Lights,” a solo exhibition by artist Akira Inumaru.
Inumaru engages with the vast and universal theme of “light,” approaching it as a tangible substance through diverse forms of expression such as painting, drawing, performance, and installation. In recent years, his work has centered on two primary techniques: a series of drawings in which parts of images on paper are scorched using sunlight concentrated through a magnifying glass, and a series of paintings that reinterpret “color” as “light,” where pigments become “powder of light” and paints are imagined as “paste of light” by mixing pigments with acrylic resin.
We warmly invite you to take this opportunity to view the exhibition.
Artist Profile
Akira Inumaru
Born 1984, Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan
2008 Completed Master’s Program in Oil Painting, Musashino Art University
2013 Completed Master Class at École Supérieure d’Art du Havre/Rouen
Currently based in Rouen and Paris, France Solo Exhibitions
2024 Plantes, Witness of Light (Botanical Garden Greenhouse, Kraków, Poland)
2024 Chambres ardentes (Saint-Maclou Church, Rouen, France)
2023 Mon Cher Jardin (Château de Villandry, Villandry, France)
2022 Cimes et Racines (Church of Saint-Ouen, Rouen, France)
2022 Jardins flottants (Michel Ciry Museum, Varengeville-sur-Mer, France)
2018 Botanique (Luxembourg Garden Greenhouse, Paris, France)
2018 Langage des fleurs (MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art, Kraków, Poland)
2016 Portrait des plantes (Municipal Botanical Garden, Rouen, France)
2015 Kata – D’une lumière à l’autre (Yves Klein Archives, Paris, France) Group Exhibitions
2024 Spleen of Paris (Tichauer Art Gallery, Tychy, Poland)
2021 Star Makers (Foro Boario Center for Contemporary Art, Oristano, Italy)
2021 ROOTS (FLORE Arts Gallery, Kobe, Japan)
2018 Tatsuno Art Project in Kraków (Manggha Museum, Kraków, Poland)
2018 Pharmakon II (Sonen-an, Kyoto, Japan)
2013 Tatsuno Art Project 2013 (Tatsuno, Hyogo, Japan)
2013 Kofukuji International Art Exhibition (Kofukuji Temple, Nagasaki, Japan) Awards
2022 Grant: Bourse Arts Visuels (Seine-Maritime Prefecture, France)
2019 23rd Antoine Marin Prize / 3rd Place
2015 Grant: Aide à la création (DRAC Haute-Normandie, France) Selected Artist Residencies
2025 Katsurao Collective (Katsurao, Fukushima, Japan)
2024 Michel Ciry Museum (Varengeville-sur-Mer, France)
2015 Villa Calderón (Louviers, France)
2013 Tatsuno Art Project (Tatsuno, Hyogo, Japan)
2012 Tatsuno Art Project (Tatsuno, Hyogo, Japan)
Exhibition Information
Akira Inumaru: “Garden of Lights” Dates: October 10 (Fri) – October 22 (Wed), 2025 Hours: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM Venue: GARDE Gallery, 4F ALLIANCE Building, 5-2-1 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo Closed: October 18 (Sat), Sundays, and National Holidays
(Photo right: Ms. Yano, General Manager of Hyatt House Tokyo Shibuya; Photo left: Mr. Muro, President & CEO of GARDE)
The hotel Hyatt House Tokyo Shibuya, for which GARDE was responsible for the interior design in 2024, has received four international design awards.
This article provides an overview of the facility’s design and the awards it has won.
Design Overview
Hyatt House Tokyo Shibuya is part of the Hyatt Hotels & Resorts brand, based on the concept of “residential-style comfort.” Located within Shibuya Sakura Stage, a large-scale redevelopment project in central Shibuya, the property offers 125 guest rooms, including 18 suites.
Shibuya is a district where visitors can enjoy the latest trends and culture, while also experiencing the charm of adjacent upscale residential areas and nostalgic alleys that retain the atmosphere of old Tokyo. Reflecting this “duality” that defines Diverse Shibuya, the interior design was conceived to embody and express this contrast, allowing guests to truly experience both sides of the city.
Artworks That Bring the Space to Life
To showcase the unique appeal of Shibuya, artworks extending from the 3rd-floor entrance to the guest rooms were created around the theme of “duality,” in line with the overall interior design concept.
Nineteen works by eight artists, expressing the essence, diversity, and contrasts of Shibuya, enliven the hotel’s shared spaces.
Established by the Farmani Group, the awards recognize, celebrate, and promote excellence and innovation in architecture, interior, product, graphic, and fashion design, while also discovering new talent worldwide.
All entries are evaluated according to the same criteria by industry experts with at least 15 years of professional experience.
The MUSE Design Awards, established in 2015, honor creative and design professionals and are judged by a panel of about 40 jurors from around the world.
The organizer, International Awards Associate (IAA), is deeply committed to advancing the industry by discovering and recognizing both emerging and established talent.
About the Awards The International Property Awards were established to recognize the highest levels of achievement by companies operating in all sectors of the property and real estate industry.
Divided into nine regions—including the United Kingdom, Asia Pacific, Africa, and Europe—the awards are judged by a highly experienced panel of experts covering every aspect of the property sector.
Award Details:
Title: Winner
Category: Hotel Interior
DNA Paris Design Awards 2025
About the Awards Established in Paris by the Farmani Group—an organization that supports design talent worldwide through various initiatives and awards—and the creative collective InBetween, this award honors the work of international architects and designers who enhance everyday life through practical, beautiful, and innovative design.
Award Details
Title: Honorable Mention
Category: Interior Design – Hospitality
The latest award information is shared through the GARDE Newsletter. In addition, the newsletter features a wide range of content, including introductions to completed projects by GARDE, global trend insights, and topics on design and art.
Name: Hyatt House Tokyo Shibuya
Location: 3-3 Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Floors: 30 above ground (1–3F, 6–16F)
Guest Rooms: 125
Developer: Tokyu Land Corporation
Architectural Design: Toda Corporation
Interior Design: GARDE Co., Ltd.
Lighting Design: Lightmoment Inc.
About Hyatt House
Hyatt House hotels are designed for guests seeking spacious residential-style accommodations with everything needed for both short and long stays. With more than 140 locations worldwide, Hyatt House offers home-like amenities, thoughtful services, and contemporary spaces. Creative menus are served in the bar area, while comfortable indoor and outdoor shared spaces are provided for working, connecting, or simply relaxing.
Not Followers of Knowledge Created by Others: A Curriculum for Developing Innovators of Knowledge
Nestled in a quiet corner near the bustling Omotesando Crossing in Tokyo, the Graduate School of Social Design Studies stands as a modern architectural landmark. Established as a professional graduate school, it nurtures experts in three fields—Communication Design, Practical Education, and Social Design. Since its founding, the school has focused on adult learners, consistently providing education that integrates theory and practice to cultivate individuals capable of driving transformation within society and organizations.
Many of GARDE’s business initiatives are realized through contributions to social and business design, making education and talent development in this area particularly vital.
On this occasion, we spoke with Professor Ryuji Kawayama, Provost and Dean of the Graduate School of Practical Education, who also guided us through the campus.
In the next section, we will introduce the distinctive approach to Recurrent Education offered by the Graduate School of Social Design Studies.
Professor Ryuji Kawayama, Provost and Dean of the Graduate School of Practical Education, Graduate School of Social Design Studies
Recurrent Education refers to lifelong learning that continues even after completing formal schooling. At this graduate school, students not only study “theory,” as one would at a typical business school, but also pursue research themes through “practice,” similar to seminar activities commonly conducted in graduate programs. In addition, by linking learning with local communities, the program cultivates not mere “followers” who simply absorb the accumulated knowledge of predecessors, but “leaders and creators” who are able to generate new knowledge themselves.
Furthermore, the school is currently the only graduate institution in Japan where it is possible to earn a qualification as a Certified Social Educator (Shakai Kyōikus hi).
Through a diverse curriculum offered primarily online, students can learn alongside peers from across Japan—from Hokkaido to Okinawa—while also having the option to study offline at the Omotesando campus and other locations nationwide.
The degrees that can be earned include:
Master of Social Design Studies (Professional)
Master of Communication Design (Professional)
Master of Practical Education (Professional)
Exterior Design and Campus Art, Watched Over by a Sacred Tree
Finally, we present images of the exterior design, the artworks placed throughout the campus, and the sacred tree on the grounds that stands as a symbolic presence.
A distinctive aesthetic that combines a minimalist exterior structure based on straight lines with a variety of organic elements.
Artworks are displayed in the common areas, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a contemporary art gallery.
A Campus Designed to Embrace the Symbolic Sacred Tree
The school buildings are arranged around the symbolic sacred tree, which sits in quiet dignity at the heart of the campus.
On Saturday, October 4, and Sunday, October 5, the Graduate School of Social Design Studies will host its Open Campus. In addition to a campus tour, visitors will have the opportunity to experience hybrid-style classes and join roundtable discussions with current students to get a firsthand sense of life at a graduate school for working professionals.
Professor Ryuji Kawayama, Provost and Dean of the Graduate School of Practical Education, Graduate School of Social Design Studies
A distinctive aesthetic that combines a minimalist exterior structure based on straight lines with a variety of organic elements.
Artworks are displayed in the common areas, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a contemporary art gallery.
A Campus Designed to Embrace the Symbolic Sacred Tree