Japanese Denim Brand Edwin Coming to America
Popular Japanese denim brand Edwin (also known as Edwin Jeans) has announced that they will re-enter the US market this fall. The fashion brand had been in the US for 30 years, but pulled out in 2008 because of the
Japanese Teens Spending Less on Fashion
There's an interesting article in today's WWD about the spending habits of Japanese teenagers. The piece brings up several interesting points, most of them implying negative trends for the Japanese fashion industry. (Unless, that is, you happen to be a
Forever 21 Coming To Harajuku in April 2009
A few weeks ago, we mentioned that the American fashion brand Forever 21 has launched a new line of Shibuya-inspired clothing. Now we find out that Forever 21 is opening it's first shop in Japan in April in Harajuku. The
Economy Down, But Uniqlo Sales Up 17%
Everyday in the media there is more news about the sad state of the world economy - and news on how those economic problems are trashing the Japanese fashion world. From new flagship shops being to major department stores suffering
Engineered Garments Fall/Winter 2008
The Electro Plankton blog has an item on the Fall/Winter collection from Japanese/NY brand Engineered Garments, along with pictures of some of the pieces in the collection. Engineered Garments is an interesting brand because the designer, Daiki Suzuki, is Japanese,
Louis Vuitton Ginza Store Cancelled
On Friday of last week, the yen exchange rate hit 88 to one USD. Every day, Japanese (and world) news reports on companies going out of business or laying off workers. Stock markets around the globe are in free fall.
Luxury Fashion Prices Falling, Trouble Ahead?
There is an interesting article in the New York Times this week about the collapse of luxury fashion prices in New York during the run up to the Christmas holiday. The article is not directly related to Japan, but certainly
Yuri Ebihara Graduation Ceremony
The word "graduate" has a different meaning in Japan than it does in the Western world. When a member of JPop band gets big enough to go solo, or gets booted out of the band for being too old, that
Louis Vuitton Japan Lowering Prices
Louis Vuitton lowered prices on its brand goods in Japan by 7 percent yesterday according to Bloomberg. The main reason given for the price cut is because the Japanese yen has gained a lot against the euro in 2008. Most
Harajuku – Trouble in Fashion Paradise?
Everyone loves Harajuku. That's good, right? Well, maybe. What if some people loved Harajuku too much? What if those people worked for huge international fashion brands. And what if those huge international brands all decided that they wanted to setup