StyleWalker SNS x UNIQLO Collaboration

Written by: Michael Keferl on April 17, 2009 at 5:27 pm | In LIFESTYLE / FASHION, MARKETING IDEAS | No Comments

We’ve touched on some collaborations that Branding (the agency behind the Tokyo Girl’s Collection) is taking on with its various platforms to market new products and services through the event. Back in 2007 we did a full report on the digital side of Branding’s (then called Xavel) empire, especially the Stylewalker SNS where they’ve been mixing the tangible with the intangible to both market and monetize fashion online.

DeNA has done very well selling digital goods to customers within its Mobage Town mobile SNS service, but Stylewalker uses the platform to sell digital versions of actual products. Members can dress their avatars in fashions from the Doll Store that are simultaneously available online as real products. The latest Tokyo Girls Collection x UNIQLO collaboration jacket is one such item.

This new jacket, made for the TGC and modeled there during the event, is available from UNIQLO stores in several different colors, all of which are available now in the Doll Store. In fact, the UNIQLO section of the Doll Store features the latest styles to come out by the brand for Spring.

Trend Potential
StyleWalker is just one side of Branding’s many ventures, and we explore the service with more depth in our internal reports. To understand more of what’s going on with this innovative company and how it fits into the New Media landscape, consider subscribing to one of our Trendpool databases.

Tags: Collaborations, Fashion, SNS
Category: LIFESTYLE / FASHION, MARKETING IDEAS
Other categories: DIGITAL LIFE, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS

Japanese Face Masks: Senseware Designer Collaboration Project

Written by: Rebecca Milner on April 8, 2009 at 2:21 am | In LIFESTYLE / FASHION, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS | No Comments

Senseware is a project that teams up chemical and material manufacturers with designers of all walks to create new, compelling uses for synthetic materials. The most recent edition features major manufacturers like Asahi Kasei and Toray Industries alongside creative luminaries like architect Jun Aoki and industrial designer Nendo.

The results vary from practical structures to purely artist creations—and to fashion items. This year Japan Fashion Week design duo Mint Designs incorporated their Senseware contribution into their catwalk show. The “To be someone” mask project was created from an unwoven material using long polyester fibers called “Smash” by Asahi Kasei Fibers Corporation. The highly thermo-dynamic material can be easily molded into 3D forms—here resulting in a pollen mask press-formed into the shape of a perfectly balanced face.

Photos courtesy of Japan Fashion Week

For the show, the masks were decorated with prints to match the clothes on display, giving the models an eerie mannequin-esque sameness. Except of course for the ones that got the contrasting chimpanzee version of the mask.

But joking (and social critique) aside, why not? Pollen masks are a common sight in Japan, especially now as hay fever hits its peak. We’ve looked at previous attempts to make the mask more fashionable, namely the Maskore (Mask-erade) campaign from fashion website GirlsGate.com that instructed women how to dress up their mask to suit their look. Why not one that is more than just tolerable, but actually enhances your appearance?

While Mint Designs created the masks purely as prototypes for the project, PR representative Naoko Jensen noted that a number of buyers and press expressed interest in them—suggesting that in this case Senseware has succeeded in pushing the discussion and potential of an average, accepted product to another level.

From Aprill 22-27 Senseware will travel to the Milan Triennial. This year marks the third edition of the annual series, Tokyo Fiber/Senseware.

Tags: Art, design, Fashion
Category: LIFESTYLE / FASHION, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS
Other categories: MARKETING IDEAS, DIGITAL LIFE

Style-Specific Hair Care Products Support & Create Trends

Written by: Rebecca Milner on April 2, 2009 at 6:07 pm | In LIFESTYLE / FASHION, MARKETING IDEAS | 3 Comments

Instead of focusing on hair types, the latest Japanese hair products focus on the needs of a few trendy styles.

This March, Mod’s Hair (Unilever Japan) launched two new hair waxes designed for two unique hair styles—and ones that the company is predicting will be the trendiest looks for the upcoming spring/summer season. The first, for the “airy bob,” promises both a firm hold and lifting at the roots for a full volume look. Meanwhile the second, for “wave memory,” works to preserve waves created in the morning, no matter how many times their owner brushes or runs a hand through them. Both products retail at major drug store chains for about $7.

We’ve spotted a few other style specific hair products on the shelves suggesting that this is becoming a major trend. Sala also has a line-up of hair waxes for different looks, though these are less trend-focused and include products tailored for more general styles: holding an up-do in place, adding volume to your layers, keeping a perm smooth. These products are easily identifiable by the promotional photos that show just what kind of style matches each product.

This trend is not limited to products marketed towards women; men, with their own unique hairstyles, are getting equally suitable products. Gatsby has likewise identified currently popular hair styles—giving them the names “grunge mat” and spiky edge”— and created hair waxes accordingly. Meanwhile rival Uno, from Shiseido, has a similar line on the shelves, also with photo images to match.

Trend potential
Hair care products are no longer just about responding to the needs of different hair types—instead they can play an active part in current trends, even shaping them. This can result in an increasingly diversified, ever-changing line-up.

Tags: Fashion, FMCG
Category: LIFESTYLE / FASHION, MARKETING IDEAS
Other categories: DIGITAL LIFE, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS

Fashionable Beverages: TGC Milk Tea & Lawson

Written by: Rebecca Milner on March 23, 2009 at 6:21 pm | In LIFESTYLE / FASHION, MARKETING IDEAS | 2 Comments

Popular fashion festival the Tokyo Girls Collection (TGC) has released a chilled cup beverage called Collaboration Blend: Royal Milk Tea. The special edition beverage is available exclusively at Lawson convenience stores and went on sale March 10th, just a few days after the latest successful edition of the event.

While the TGC is produced by influential fashion and lifestyle portal site Girlswalker.com, it is the recognizable pink logo of the TGC that is displayed more prominently on the packaging and in-store promotional material. According to the press release, the executive committee of the TGC selected the blend of Assam tea and fresh cream and the ladylike pink stripe of the package design.

What’s more, on the back of the package and above the requisite nutrition information, is a QR code that links to the TGC mobile website where consumers can check out photos and reports from the recent show. This feature works to reinforce the link between the product and the event.

Trend Potential
CScout covered the fashion show in-depth, but for us the most interesting aspect is the e-commerce integration and collaborations that have made Tokyo Girls Collection such as hit. Our mini reports on collaborations, including lots of descriptions and photos, are available in the Mobile Trendpool.

Tags: beverages, Collaborations, Convenience Stores, Fashion, FMCG
Category: LIFESTYLE / FASHION, MARKETING IDEAS
Other categories: DIGITAL LIFE, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS

Tokyo Girls’ Collection - TGC Spring 2009

Written by: Rebecca Milner on March 11, 2009 at 2:01 am | In DIGITAL LIFE, LIFESTYLE / FASHION, MARKETING IDEAS | 2 Comments

Click for our 2008 Tokyo Girl’s Collection report

The Tokyo Girls Collection is best known for blending forward-thinking e-commerce strategies with the appeal of a classic stadium extravaganza. While three dozen popular domestic fashion brands stage runway shows of their latest looks, audience members can purchase the items as seen immediately with their mobile phones through a dedicated mobile retail site. The event also eschews typical fashion world exclusivity by offering a general admission ticket for just $40 (less than a typical concert ticket), regularly attracting a crowd of 20,000 plus teens and 20-somethings.

According to organizers, a remarkable 57 million yen ($580k) worth of merchandise was sold during the event as users accessed their phones to grab the latest looks as they were first revealed on the catwalk.

Below is a report from our friends at Diginfo News

Event producer Branding Inc. is the media company behind top portal and retail websites Girlswalker.com and Fashionwalker.com. According to a survey conducted last season by the company, 85.6% of respondents in their teens or twenties spend nearly 100 minutes on the mobile internet per day and more than 70% have used their mobile phones to shop at least once in the last year.

Now in its 8th season the Tokyo Girls Collection also features an increasing number of partner booths and presentations, collaboration projects, and spin-off activities in addition to the mainstay fashion shows and pop singer performances. Event partners include leaders from diverse industries, such as cosmetics, automotive, and food & beverage.

Trend Potential
The Tokyo Girl’s Collection is a big deal, not just for fashion, but for mobile, e-commerce, publishing, New Media, and more. This is why we go to every TGC and document it top to bottom with sound analysis on the trends, marketing collaborations, and technology behind the events. For our full report and the connection to related global trends, you’ll find it all in the Trendpool. For companies and individuals interested in experiencing the action themselves, our Tokyo Trend Tours can integrate the next TGC event with a full retail experience in the city.

Tags: Collaborations, e-commerce, Events, Fashion, Marketing, Mobile, Tokyo Girls Collection, Women
Category: DIGITAL LIFE, LIFESTYLE / FASHION, MARKETING IDEAS
Other categories: PRODUCT INNOVATIONS