How 3 Singapore fashion designers plan to crack Japan
If you can make it at Rooms, Japan's largest fashion trade show, you can make it anywhere.Few markets around the world are as zealous in their adoption of new trends as Japan. If you can make it big here, it's likely you'll make it real big.
But it's not easy. That's why, for the past six months, experts on the Japan retail scene have been educating five local labels on the subtleties of the Japanese market.
A.W.O.L., Burgundy, Les Affaires, WoonHung and WOMB have been learning how to woo Japanese consumers unde a Japan Exporter Development Programme (EDP) that is partially sponsored by IE Singapore.
“Japan is perhaps the world’s most difficult retail market to get into," says Japan EDP's project consultant Joanna Fong. "The Japanese consumer is a different breed altogether.
“Japanese consumers are uncompromising in their demand for superior quality. One hundred percent of imports go through quality checks, with even the smallest defects resulting in the item being rejected and returned.”
The export program has already drawn results, with jewelry designer WoonHung netting seven orders following the group’s showcase at sales agency H3O Fashion Bureau.
We caught up with the creative forces behind A.W.O.L., Les Affaires and WoonHung to find out what they learned.
Alfie Leong (A.W.O.L.)
Started in 2010 and now into its second season, Alfie Leong's second fashion brand targets people from "all walks of life."
Local shoppers may be more familiar with the 40-year-old’s other label, MU, which has three outlets in Singapore.
“Japan is Asia’s fashion capital,” says Leong. “There are those who buy reasonably priced fast fashion such as H&M, but there are also those who really appreciate good designs and quality fabrics.”
For Leong, the Japan EDP market trip to Tokyo helped him “learn more about the country from the inside”. To help the companies gather firsthand feedback Fong had arranged for them to meet buyers from top stores such as ESTNATION, BEAMS, United Arrows and Isetan, as well as members of the media and popular bloggers such as Joe Kazuaki from Tokyo Dandy.
“They were impressed by the diverse cultures that inspired my designs," says Leong. "The buyers gave positive feedback on the fabrics I used as well as my presentation and lookbook.”
The study trip coincided with A.W.O.L.’s Spring/Summer 2011 collection showing at Rooms, Japan’s largest fashion trade show; A.W.O.L. was the only one of the five participating EDP companies to exhibit this year.
The verdict? “The buyers are very experienced and have seen the best of the best," says Leong. "Although they did not exactly turn over the whole outfit, they did notice details like the French seams used."
Buyers have expressed interest in A.W.O.L. and Leong hopes to show his Autumn/Winter 2011/2012 collection in Japan again next February.
Melissa Chang and Patricia Quek (Les Affaires)
A brand that believes in comfortable sleepwear that retains runway trends? Lace, tulle and ruffles feature strongly in Les Affaires’ Summer 2010 collection and the two-year-old brand is hoping that Japanese women will snuggle up to its offerings of sleepwear and lounge wear.
“There’s a lack of stylish sleepwear in Asia," says Les Affaires' brand manager Patricia Quek. "Our lounge wear and sleepwear are presentable alternatives to the holey tee or sexy teddy for both around the house and in bed. Some of our designs are versatile enough to even be worn out as casual tops or underneath a work jacket.”
With six retail points in Singapore and over 15 points in Asia and the United States, Les Affaires hopes to make Japan its next stop by getting department stores and specialty stores to carry its line.
“Japan has a growing market for sleepwear, which is known as ‘roomwear’ in Japan,” says Quek. “The softness of the fabric and soft color of the garment is very important in their choice of sleepwear. While Japanese women are very willing to spend on fashion and lifestyle products, quality and workmanship are key factors in their selection.”
Distilling its lessons from the EDP, Les Affaires created a capsule collection -- adding additional lace to an existing collection -- just for the Japanese market.
Quek concludes: “We need to be extremely focused on our target market, who our style appeals to, as Japan is a well-segmented population with very distinctive and specific tastes in their fashion choice.”
Following the trip, Les Affaries will be creating a capsule collection specially suited to the Japanese form and shape to show in Tokyo next year.
Yvonne Chia (WoonHung)
It was gut instinct that led jewelry designer Yvonne Chia to target the Japanese shopper for her eponymous brand WoonHung, named after her Chinese name.
“I love Japan -- it has the best of everything -- and making it there would be fulfilling a personal goal and dream,” says Chia whose pieces are stocked in four multi-label stores in Singapore.
Making it at home isn't enough for Chia.
“WoonHung is unknown in the international arena," says Chia. "I hope participating in the Japan EDP will change that.”
The top lesson for her: Japanese consumers’ level of perfectionism.
“Their attention to every detail is impeccable," says Chia. "More detail doesn’t necessarily mean better -- it’s ‘less-is-more’ detailing. When focusing on one detail, they accomplish the best in that.
"Perfectionism is a way of life, and the Japanese hold all foreign designers to the same high standard. If we cannot meet their high expectations, they’re not interested.”
Along with the Japan EDP group, she presented her collection of handmade jewelry at sales agency H3O Fashion Bureau in Tokyo.
Chia also credits H30 sales and marketing director Jason Lee Coates for giving her practical pointers to shape her collection; creating miniature versions of her signature chandelier earrings in her 14K gold range to suit the petite Japanese frame, and keeping retail prices to ¥10,000 and below.
“Jason believed in my designs and gave constant feedback," says Chia. "His best advice to me was: Japan has everything, it doesn’t need any more. In Japan, you compete with the best, so make sure your products are distinct, properly edited with astute detailing. Above all, pricing is everything.”
