Japan Genki Project returned to the stage on a grand scale this year in honour of the event’s founder, Kansai Yamamoto. The legendary fashion designer, who sadly passed away last year at the age of 76, launched the Japan Genki Project as a way to energize and motivate people to achieve their dreams.

This year, the project acted as a tribute to the founder, with the theme being a ‘World Heritage Runway’. The project was organised by a group of Japanese brands who resonated with Yamamoto’s idea that ‘fashion can make people happy’.

Set in Fujiyoshida city, models wore colorful and striking outfits along a red carpet that stretched straight toward Mt. Fuji.

The event was recorded simultaneously with multiple cameras and drones, and has been edited into a final video which can be viewed on YouTube.

Models walk the red carpet in the video, passing by some of the most famous spots surrounding Mt. Fuji, such as Fujiyoshida’s Honchodori, before reaching the base of a monument resembling the mountain.
This monument was composed of photographed designs collected from domestic and foreign students who are aspiring to be designers and creators. The event visualised how people’s dreams and thoughts gather together to produce strong energy, which was represented by the Mt. Fuji monument.

The models in the video wore designs produced by five aspiring young fashion designers, which were selected by the organizing brands and directors. Additionally, the winning design of the Asahi Kasei China Future Star Design Innovation Award appears in the video.

A documentary focusing on an interview with this year’s general director, Kenta Takatani, is also available to watch on YouTube. In the film, Takatani highlights the motivation and efforts put in by the designers, students and fashion industry for the event. The documentary offers behind the scenes footage of the World Heritage Runway, and also introduces the charm of Fujiyoshida city.

To watch the fashion movie recorded at the base of Mt. Fuji on YouTube click here, and to watch the supporting documentary (with English subtitles) click here.