Comments on: Tokyo | The decline of big-brand luxury

By: V

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 20:07:49 +0000

As every empire rise and fall, so too shall the European luxury brands die off in order to make way for the new generation of fashion designers.

By: daniel

daniel — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:29:04 +0000

I was in Tokyo recently and as you say it is a rather “complex” scene (possibly the most complex of all). While I wouldn’t say it’s on “decline” it is certainly under transformation. Personally I find luxury shops are often empty “everywhere”. My mother who lives and shops in Milan always notices how Corso Como 10, even when not empty (that is, on Saturdays) has very few people actually walking away with a dotted bag. Yet after years it’s still there, “open”. And if one truly appreciates Prada he or she simply cannot shop so easily at Shibuya 109. The difference is too hard to swallow.

By: ModaRhoda

ModaRhoda — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:02:05 +0000

This article is fascinating. Is it a precursor to what will happen elsewhere in the world? Will economic difficulties cause empty designer shops in London? I love this website!

By: M.I.H

M.I.H — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:56:27 +0000

One thing you have to think about is that tokyo is a city of 20 000 000 people.A lot of people shoped luxury products, and still is. And a lot of people never bought much to begin with. Plus also many brands of high quality and price but oudside of the western luxury brands are very popular and first choise for many people. Westerners often have the sense that there are certain trends in japan, but the thruth is there are so many trends there, really depending on what your interest are.So often i have heard that something is big in japan, but when you are there nobody knows about it. One example is Kim Jones or CasettePlaya, only a small group of people in tokyo will actually know what or who they are, and this is including people within the fashion system. I am just trying to say tokyo is so much, and it is impossible to generize it. Liked the article though.

By: Sue

Sue — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:05:59 +0000

I think this is a very interesting and informative article. Especially the part where it says “Japan’s society and cultural fabric are also undergoing a transformation unlike anything seen before. One person told me the Japanese are reversing years of “brain-washing” which led them to believe that their self-worth and social status could only be derived from having the right luxury-branded products. While this phenomena is on the decline in Japan, it is on the rise in India. I think more and more Indians are reassuring their social status by indulging in luxury brands like Gucci, LV, Prada and Chanel like theres no tomorrow.

By: katlin

katlin — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 08:33:36 +0000

It’s nice to see that the people of Japan are becoming more individualistic and not relying on luxury brands to mark their status. Can’t wait to here how the big brands are going to respond/market to them now!

By: G

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:20:24 +0000

thanks so much for the info.. i heard about similiar things in fact from a friend but didnt quite believe it.. but your article has convinced me!

By: carlos loaiza

carlos loaiza — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:59:52 +0000

thank you, this is very interesting, i’ll wait for the next on.

By: Randall

Randall — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 05:24:26 +0000

Fascinating. A real page turner, can’t wait for more on this.

By: rollergirl

rollergirl — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 21:50:24 +0000

Excellent stuff, look forward to the rest…