Japan's Parochial Fashion Business

[Mulboyne]

[IkemenTommy]

Tokyo? Of course Tokyo is part of the Fashion Big 4

From here

[BigInJapan]

Tokyo? Of course Tokyo is part of the Fashion Big 4

From here

Any time I see something like this (a "kid sister" training bra and undie set?) and think WFT? - I just have to remind myself that TIJ, and anything goes...

[sublight]

It's kind of the same with Japanese whiskey. More of it gets made here than anywhere except Scotland, and the quality is some of the best in the world, but the distillers do jack squat to market outside Japan and they refuse to work together with each other.

[Cyka UchuuJin]

brands like galaxxxy, phenomenon, function junction, etc are the bhs, marks and spencers, woolworths, target, walmarts of japan. a pair of skinny perfectly ripped and distressed jeans from gap, levis and the other big names are upwards of 10.000\ a pair in japan, so just like every other country, japan has it's own labels to accommodate every budget. i think it's a bit overstated to say that tokyo youngsters are the envy of western designers. maybe envious that a 40 year old japanese woman can pull off a cutesy look that would just look stupid on a 40 year old british woman. the harajuku and gothic lolita looks are the only trend japan can really lay claim to, and it has a global niche following (and brands like baby the stars shine bright and angelic pretty have recognised by opening online web shops), but it's never going to be a massive trend.

i don't think japanese brands really have much desire in going global, because for one, the amount of competition out there is pretty intimidating, and two, couture and on season trends are generally sized to fit a certain shape. it would be costly for a japanese designer to adapt an entire line to western sizes and shapes, and they would be risking massive loss if it didn't succeed since they couldn't just ship it all back to japan and sell it locally. brands like uniqlo and muji are doing ok on the international market because most of their clothes are stretchy, cotton, basic shape pieces at reasonable prices. nike, gap, levis, a handful of other big western names produce specially sized clothing for the asian market because it has appeal to the western-obsessed japanese and is costly, yet realistically attainable. but if you look in the chanel, louis vuitton, dior and other couture shops, it's mostly handbags, shoes, and accessories that sell, since few of them make j-sizes.

even if japan put a trend out there that got global attention, some fashion house would pick up on it and quickly produce a variation to fit western shapes. just as the japanese brands do with western trends every season.