Band of Outsiders A/W 2011 | Source: Band of Outsiders

On the eve of the menswear shows at London Fashion Week, our Tokyo Associate Contributor W. David Marx considers an inflection point in menswear trends.

TOKYO, Japan — On the streets of Tokyo, the heritage look still rules. The patchwork tweed jackets and rough wool bowties in the windows of “select shop” boutiques like Beams Plus and United Arrows’ Beauty & Youth continued to draw a steady crowd last autumn. But after two solid years of celebrating Anglo-American “neo-trad” style, influential Japanese fashion magazine Brutus and its little brother publication Popeye began to turn towards a darker, more European vision.

Fashion has always been a celebration of perpetual difference. Back in 2004, after years of European luxury looks, Thom Browne sparked a re-evaluation of American trad style with his new take on the charcoal gray sack suit, white oxford shirt and rep tie.

A large part of the industry eventually followed suit, creating more nostalgic, traditional clothing. Soon came classic British suits, tweeds and plaids, followed by rugged workwear like chambray shirts and high lace-up boots. But there are growing signs that the enormously successful heritage boom may finally be peaking.

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Coach Kristin Leather Hobo Bag | Source: Coach

TOKYO, Japan — In the United States, the Coach Kristin Leather Hobo bag retails for $298. In Japan, the same bag costs $711 (¥59,850).

This disparity in pricing is not unique to Coach. Premium and luxury fashion brands based outside Japan have long charged Japanese consumers a significantly higher price than in other markets for the same goods. But today, due to a strong yen and greater visibility of global pricing thanks to the internet, Japanese consumers are growing weary of this systematic markup.

As Mariko Sanchanta notes in a recent Wall Street Journal piece entitled “Web-Bargain Luxury Comes to Japan,” Japanese consumers are becoming accustomed to “discounts” at outlet malls and online sales, which, ironically, make prices equivalent to what much of the world pays at standard retail.

So why is it that premium and luxury brands have been able to charge nearly double for their products in Japan — a practice which on the face of it looks like price gouging?

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Abercrombie & Fitch, Ginza | Source: Fashionsnap.com

TOKYO, Japan — After several years of “will they or won’t they” speculation, American casual fashion retailer Abercrombie & Fitch finally opened its first retail store in Japan this past December. The 11-story shop in Tokyo’s upscale Ginza neighbourhood is just steps away from Uniqlo’s flagship store and Swedish fast fashion brand H&M.

As with every big retail opening in Tokyo, the first day of sales saw long lines of customers and swift business. The rumoured haul: ¥50 million (or about $550,000). Even without the benefit of an opening party or major press event, Abercrombie was able to rely on a small group of Japanese fans who had previously bought the brand’s products as souvenirs on trips to Hawaii or the continental United States.

But the big question is, will Abercrombie be able to win over new fans in Japan and replicate the unbelievably successful Japanese market entries of other mass fashion brands?

So far, the signs do not look good.

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The colours of Uniqlo | Source: Uniqlo

TOKYO, Japan — For the last two years, the inverted black triangle — Japan’s version of the minus sign — has infected monthly earnings reports at most of the nation’s retail chains. The global recession has been almost universally bad for the apparel market. Japanese customers are just not spending on fashion like they used to.

There’s one exception, of course: Uniqlo. 

For the fiscal year ending in August 2009, Uniqlo’s parent company Fast Retailing posted a ¥108.6 billion profit with ¥685 billion sales — outperforming initial projections. The brand’s comparable store sales for September 2009 were up 31.6 percent. In October, they were up 35.7 percent.

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Somarta A/W 09, courtesy of Coutorture

TOKYO, Japan — Japan Fashion Week (JFW) is nearing its end, but has anyone really noticed that it started?

While the entire cities of Paris, Milan, and New York seem to get completely swept up in the glamour of their respective fashion weeks, the average Tokyo citizen is most likely unaware that Japan Fashion Week is currently happening. This is very odd, considering that Tokyo is obsessed with designer fashion to an extent seen nowhere else on Earth.

Why the lack of excitement?

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