January 1st, 2010 - Volume 15

JAPAN FASHION PRODUCT NEWS

 JAPAN-FPO
 

JAPAN FASHION PRODUCT NEWS Volume 15 - Index

New year's greetings 2010

JAPAN FASHION PRODUCT ORGANIZATION Director,
Shigeki Okada

"Land deformation in Fashion Business field"

I watched "Kanburia Kyuden" on TV the other night. The program was featuring a CEO of SUZUKI, and it was impressive that he mentioned several times that even "common sense" was accelerated and was overturned every 5 years.

It seems 2009 was a year that Fast fashion stormed the fashion industry. I expect 2010 will be a year that common sense of beauty and value will be changed.

And I think the biggest change of common sense will be polarization of customers; a type who "enjoys cheap and easy products" and a type who "is attracted by values of products".

For this reason, 2010 needs to be the year of reviewing "Creation". Then, there will be an unlimited possibility for young designers' business to come to forefront.
I expect the New Year will be "Change of common sense - change of value - acknowledgment of Creation".

New Year's Day, 2010
JAPAN FASHION PRODUCT ORGANIZATION
Director, Shigeki Okada

Jun Suzuki, the mayor of Taitou Designers village

Happy New Year.

Will Japan Fashion embark on a year of change?
In 2009, the America's first black president was inaugurated.
His campaign theme "Change" was supported by American citizens who had suffered a financial crisis.
Also here in Japan "Change" was brought about by Japanese citizens who got angry with an economic recession, politicians' leadership crisis, and corrupted bureaucrats.
The opposition party won a national election with overwhelming public willingness and a change in government was achieved for the first time in the history of Japanese politics.
"A change in government" was selected as the most popular word in 2009, and Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, received a prize.

In the same manner, people in the fashion industry are increasing anger.
The industry still clings to past success saying "Japanese manufacturing is the world's top", but in the reality, a share of Japanese products keeps falling. Is it alright to keep doing this?
There will be no more internationally-respected Japanese designers following after Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garcons, Issey Miyake. Is it alright to keep doing this?
Western mega-fashion brands expand into Japan and take away a share of Japanese brands in the time Japanese brands are struggling in recession. Is it alright to keep doing this?
We, Japanese, are copying Western culture while ignoring our own culture that has more than 2000 years of continued history which is the world's only culture. Is it alright to keep doing this?

Now, next-generation designers asking for change are about to come out from among those Japanese designers who had doubted the status quo but been putting up with it.
JAPAN-FPO is a group of designers and manufacturers with high enthusiasm for change.
"Change" by manufacturers and creators in the fashion industry will be recognizable in 2010.

And the first person who senses this change in Japanese Fashion will be you, a buyer in overseas who has supported Japanese brands, but not buyers in Japan who has ignored Japanese brands.
Please keep paying attention to activities of our JAPAN-FPO

Jun Suzuki, the mayor of Taitou Designers village