is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

monthly

women's magazine This is a list of women's magazines from around the world. These are magazines that have been published primarily for a readership of woman, women. Currently published *''10 Magazine (UK), 10 Magazine'' (UK – distributed worldwide) *''Al Jam ...

with a special focus on

fashion Fashion is a term used interchangeably to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, Fashion accessory, accessories, cosmetics, and jewellery of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into Clothing, outfits that depict distinct ...

. The magazine is based in

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. Founded in 1936, it is the first fashion magazine in the country. It is also the oldest Japanese fashion magazine still in publication.

History and profile

''Soen'' was established by Bunka Fukusō Gakuin (meaning

Bunka Fashion College is a Japanese Vocational education, vocational school specializing in fashion design and related disciplines. It is headquartered in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and has more than 70 branches throughout Japan. History The college was founded in 1919 by Is ...

in English) in 1936. The magazine is published by Bunka Publishing Bureau on a monthly basis. It has a sister publication, ''

High Fashion (; ; French for 'high sewing', 'high dressmaking') is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted high-end fashion design. The term ''haute couture'' generally refers to a specific type of upper garment common in Europe during the 16th to th ...

''. ''Soen'' targets women. In the 1950s ''Soen'' featured articles on

Paris fashion week Paris Fashion Week (, commonly ) is a series of designer presentations held semi-annually in Paris, France, with spring/summer and autumn/winter events held each year. Dates are determined by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode. Pa ...

. In addition, the magazine also covered new look style of

Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior, is a French Multinational corporation, multinational luxury goods company that is controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH. , Dior controlled around 42% of ...

between 1948 and 1950. It awards the Soen Prize, which was formed in 1956. Some of the

Japanese fashion Japanese street fashion refers to a number of styles of contemporary modern clothing in Japan. Created from a mix of both local and foreign fashion brands, Japanese street fashions tend to have their own distinctive style, with some considered ...

designers won the prize include Junko Koshino,

Yohji Yamamoto is a Japanese fashion designer based in Tokyo and Paris. Considered a master tailor alongside those such as Madeleine Vionnet, he is known for his avant-garde tailoring featuring Japanese design aesthetics. Yamamoto has won notable awards fo ...

, Kenzo Takada,

Kansai Yamamoto was a Japanese fashion designer, most influential during the 1970s and 1980s. Early life and career Kansai was born in 1944 in Yokohama, Japan and he raised in Gifu City, Japan. He focused on civil engineering in high school, and majored in En ...

, Tokio Kumagai, Kensho Abe, and Yusuke Takahashi.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soen 1936 establishments in Japan Magazines established in 1936 Magazines published in Tokyo Monthly magazines published in Japan Women's fashion magazines published in Japan