Japan news and archive

In Pictures: Guess Jeans opens first Asian flagship store in Tokyo

Guess Jeans has opened its first Asian flagship store in the fashion-centric neighbourhood of Harajuku, Tokyo. The opening of the four-storey location comes as part of wider expansion plans in Japan, currently being led by director of new business, Nicolai Marciano. To celebrate this next phase of global expansion, a series of local events...

Retail

Onitsuka tiger’s winning strategy involves a boutique on the Champs-Élysées

The inauguration of the Onitsuka Tiger boutique, July 3, at 25 avenue des Champs-Élysées (Paris 8e), signals the strong performance of this sportswear footwear brand, owned by Asics CS Corporation (Asics). Asics, a Japanese group specialising in sporting goods and operating its own eponymous label, recently announced record sales for the first...

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Business

British Embassy in Tokyo calls for sponsors to support fashion trade event

The British Embassy in Tokyo is calling for partners and sponsors to support an event in Japan intended to welcome UK delegates from the Fashion and Luxury sector. The “showcase and reception” are being held as part of the UK at Expo programme, which is currently being held in Osaka up until October 13. UK brands are to be showcased within the...

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Business

Authentic Brands expands partnership with Boardriders Japan

Authentic Brands Group has expanded its partnership with Boardriders Japan (BRJ) to include the Volcom and Spyder brands in the region. In a statement, the New York-based brand development and licensing company said the strategic agreement builds upon its existing partnership with BRJ, which oversees the regional business for Quiksilver,...

Fashion

Japan PM touts "cute" Japan at fashion show

Sporting a pair of jeans and sneakers, Japan's prime minister ditched his usually solemn demeanour for a fashion show to tout a "cute, lively and cool" Japan. Surrounded on stage by members of an all-girl pop group, Shigeru Ishiba made a surprise appearance Saturday at the Tokyo Girls Collection -- a popular fashion festival. "I think it would...

People

Streetwear designer Nigo appointed creative director of Japan's FamilyMart

Japanese designer Tomoaki Nagao, better known as Nigo, has been appointed creative director of the retail chain FamilyMart. Nigo, who is also currently the creative director of Kenzo, owned by the French luxury conglomerate LVMH, will collaborate with the Japanese convenience store operator in various capacities, FamilyMart announced on...

Fashion

Dior to hold autumn 2025 show in Kyoto, Japan

French luxury house Dior has revealed Kyoto, Japan, to be the location of its next destination show. The city’s garden of Toji will be host to the event, which is scheduled to take place April 15, 2025. Intended as a celebration of the house’s “strong ties with Japan”, the runway will be a showcase of Dior’s autumn 2025 collection by creative...

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Business

LVMH-backed L Catterton snaps up majority stake in Japan’s Kapital

Investment firm L Catterton has reportedly snapped up a majority stake in Japanese denim specialist Kapital following the death of its founder, Toshikiyo Hirata, in early 2024. The deal was made quietly, with neither firm formerly announcing the acquisition. Kapital does now, however, appear on L Catterton’s official website, underneath a list...

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Business

True blue tradition: how Japan's coveted jeans are made

Kojima-ajino, Japan - Call it an antidote to fast fashion: Japanese jeans hand-dyed with natural indigo and weaved on a clackety vintage loom, then sold at a premium to global denim connoisseurs. Unlike their mass-produced cousins, the tough garments crafted at the small Momotaro Jeans factory in southwest Japan are designed to be worn for...

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Business|Interview

Founders of Japanese brand Bibiy talk UK debut

Japanese brands have been gaining increased popularity among Western consumers over recent years for their often unique design values that particularly resonate with younger shoppers on the lookout for a fresh take on wardrobe staples. It is exactly this that Bibiy is hoping to lean on. The label has taken its first major step into the European...

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Business

European subsidiary of Teijin Frontier opens Paris showroom amid expansion plans

High performance fibre producer Teijin Frontier has announced that its European subsidiary, Teijin Frontier Europe GmbH, has opened a new showroom in Paris as part of the firm’s plans to expand its fashion business in the region. The showroom houses and displays Teijin Frontier’s fabric collection and products, including its Ecopet polyester...

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Ryo Matsumura of Japan's Rakuten: 'We would like to represent French designers who are not yet known'

In past seasons of Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo, the event’s headline sponsor, tech firm and e-commerce retailer Rakuten, has made it known of its intentions to secure stronger ties with the influential fashion weeks of the West. During Tokyo’s FW24 fashion week, for example, Paris Fashion Week’s official tradeshow partner, Tranoï, announced it...