japan | In Your Head

Eastern promise

March 19, 2013 | By Shannon Kelly

One of our favorite menswear lifestyle brands is looking East for inspiration and expansion.

Freemans Sporting Club announced today that they are opening a flagship store in Tokyo next month. The store will be located in the Minami-Aoyama district and was designed to look like a New York brownstone building. The concept will be much like the Freemans Sporting Club on Rivington Street – with a barber shop, restaurant and bespoke suit department.

“We’ve always had a relationship with the Japanese since we opened the store seven years ago,” said Freemans' founder Taavo Somer.

“And we have a pretty passionate following of Japanese here,” added Kent Kilroe, Freemans' Managing Director.

Two additional Japan retail locations will follow over the next two years as part of a partnership with Yagi Tsushi Ltd. Urban Research, a sublicensee and the retail partner. The label will also open a number of Freemans in-store shops at its 104 Asian stores. The Aoyama store will be five levels and have an outdoor vertical garden.

In New York, Freemans is expanding the Rivington Street store – adding a suit shop and Japanese-inspried sports bar. According to Women's Wear Daily, the addition will open later this Spring or Summer.

Tags: menswear, beauty, restaurant, food, japan, Tokyo, sports, trends, nyc, collaborations, bespoke, retail

eastern inspiration

February 9, 2013 | By Shannon Kelly

Aloha from Hawaii — where many luxury brands have integrated Chinese elements and well wishes into their displays along Waikiki's premiere shopping center to mark the Year of the Snake, according to the Chinese zodiac.

The Chinese New Year has inspired many luxury brands to incorporate snake shapes into their latest collections, including jewelry, watches and vehicles, according to report by CRI. Last year, the Year of the Dragon in China, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd launched a dragon edition of the Rolls-Royce Phantom. The limited-edition cars were sold out within two months.

The East has undoubtedly become the new West in the luxury market and it's only a matter of time before other brands follow suit. Economists, politicians and sociologists have been commenting on this shift, especially considering our world has been dominated by Western civilization for 500 years.

China is the most populous country with 1.3 billion people, while Tokyo has become the largest city with over 36 million people. Megacities, with more than 10 million citizens, will continue their expansion and it is predicted that by 2025, 21 of the world’s 37 megacities will be located in Asia.

Feeling inspired to make the connection between business goals and luxury trends?

{Source: CRI, Forbes}

Tags: luxury, japan, china, hawaii, jewelry, trends, visual merchandising, megacities, retail, fashion

concierge-style customer service

January 28, 2013 | By Shannon Kelly

Uniqlo concierge

As competition to attract customers grows fierce among domestic retailers in Japan, some brands have begun staffing select locations with a new breed of customer-service experts to cater to the general needs of tourist shoppers, reported The Japan Times.

Uniqlo has introduced nearly 20 concierges to provide directions to the nearest stations and information on nearby restaurants at its flagship store in Tokyo’s Ginza district. Since nearly 30 percent of the Ginza store’s customers are foreign visitors, the concierges are picked from among multilingual employees. Each of them speak at least one of four foreign languages — English, French, Chinese and Korean.

Tower Records has also embraced the concierge approach at the Shinjuku store by creating a “concierge counter” dedicated to handling customers’ inquiries. According to The Japan Times, the counter was added because the ordinary store staff found it difficult to attend fully to customers’ needs on crowded store floors.

The trend in Japan isn't exclusive to retail. Pasona Group Inc., a staffing service company, has trained around 70 “eco-concierges” to answer any questions about environmentally friendly home appliances and instruct visitors on how to use a battery recharger for electric cars at showrooms and exhibition booths. In addition to providing eco-friendly tips, they also offer cooking lessons using an energy-efficient induction-heater cooking system.

Expanding customer service beyond the four walls to win luxury shoppers’ loyalty is not completely new, but we love how chic-sounding “concierges” have replaced terms like " brand evangelists" and "specialists" in mainstream retail environments. Engaging with customers, especially tourists, about subjects of interest in addition to products or services makes a lasting impression.

Wouldn't you agree that "Can I help you," or "Is there anything you are looking for" sound passé?

{Source: The Japan Times}

Tags: retail, food, customer service, Eco-friendly, concierge, japan, tourism

presenting cult charcoal products

August 28, 2012 | By Shannon Kelly

Forget the frivolous Maison Martin Margiela Ostrich feather pen fad and turn your attention to charcoal for an intelligent home novelty.

We've watched as Japanese bamboo charcoal at Boulettes Larder has gained popularity among the Gastronomes, and have long been enamored with the Chikuno Cube as an all-natural air freshener, but last month we were delighted to see other Binchotan products — like the famous "black toothbrush", known for radiating negative ions and providing a powerful deodorizing effect by removing the plaque and the cause of bad breath — gain mainstream appeal.

No longer an online exclusive, this cohesive heath and beauty Bichotan offering was spotted on a recent trendscaping safari at Inform in Vancouver, Canada. Using a QR technology as part of the product signage, the simple visual presentation was able to communicate the vast benefits of traditional and contemporary Japanese aesthetics to overseas markets.

We believe that the strength of merchandising is often in simplicity (and quality never goes out of style), and adding the QR code provides instantaneous customer service.

Tags: beauty, natural, healthy, new media, QR codes, visual merchandising trends, merchandising, Vancouver BC, canada, japan, SmartCommerce

news bites 6.10.11

June 10, 2011 | By Shannon Kelly

A weeks worth of news- strained, ladled, and processed.

CULTURE

{image: japantrends.com}

- Living Walls: Residents in Tokyo's concrete jungle are being encouraged to plant their own the Green Curtain via CScout Japan.

- Watch Steve Jobs reinvent the commercial real estate pitch when he presents an ultra modern Apple 'mothership' campus to the local City Council.

FOOD

{photo: mashable.com}

- Snooth, the world’s largest wine site, turns wine discovery into a social game by using gaming mechanics to encourage and reward players.
- Study: Meatless Monday campaign reaches more than half of America.

- So eloquent & true: "And the San Juans are to seafood what Bravo is to so-called housewives: a seemingly limitless trove of peerless specimens." Eating In and Around Seattle by Frank Bruni via the NYTimes.

FASHION

{photo: crowdscience.com}

- Retailers work to adopt quick response codes to reach more customers but awareness still lags behind. Only 5% of total smartphone owners in the U.S. have scanned a QR, according to Forrester Research.

- Some luxury Brands' still fear Digital Media: "especially the uncontrolled environment of customer posts - for fear of tarnishing the aura of exclusivity". Do you agree?

- On trend with a growing desire among consumers for product differentiation, the role of fashion brands doubled in importance last year (to 28%) and sentiment is holding firm again this year at 29%.

Tags: food, fashion, new media, luxury, trends, Culture, wine, beverages, seattle, gardening, design, japan, QR codes

fruit go boom

May 17, 2011 | By Shannon Kelly

Watermelon fields in eastern China are a mess after farmers used growth chemicals in an attempt to make extra money. The farmers sprayed forchlorfenuron, a growth accelerator, during overly wet weather and put it on too late in the season, which made the melons explode in the fields according to one report by China Central Television.

According to MSNBC, the exact growth chemical used by Chinese farmers is permitted on grapes and kiwi fruit in the US.

This is yet another example of the increasingly concerns about food safety and quality tracking. As we examine the food chain and the increase in sales of organic produce, it seems logical to draw attention to the inability of agencies to inform the public fully, and avoid potentially severe health hazards.

{sources: BBC, MSNBC}

Tags: china, grocery, gardening, thoughts, japan, food safety, food, organic

news bites 3.18.11

March 18, 2011 | By Shannon Kelly

A new twist on our not-so-weekly news bites. The trendscaping "giving" category represents innovative campaigns to help Japan. Get clicking.

GIVING

{photo: Tatcha}

- All profits from the TATCHA's Kiri Gift Set of aburatorigami (Japanese blotting papers) through March 31st will go to support relief efforts in Japan. You can purchase one, or many, here.
- ShelterBox USA provides emergency supplies an extended family of up to 10 people with a tent and essential equipment to the worst hit areas of Japan. Best of all, you can track your box to know it's going to good use. Donate now.
- For each $5 donation on LivingSocial, they will match funds and donate to the American Red Cross Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami fund. Limited time so click now.

FASHION
- Pamela Love X Topshop "Spirit of America" collaboration set to hit stores this April.
- United Nude debuts pop-up installation at London's Selfridges featuring spring/summer collection.

- A closer look at Maison Martin Margiela bottle lamps by AnOther's Lovers.

RETAIL
- New report from Experian shows that up to 90% of store purchases are now influenced by online research according to Retail Week.
- Pop-ups will never replace permanent stores, but they can & should become complement to a retailer’s brand strategy.

FOOD
- Fast Company names the 10 Most Innovative Companies in Food. Is it just us or does your definition of "innovation" differ?

Tags: london, housewares, giving, beauty, shoes, popup retail, innovation, design, eCommerce, japan

news bites 4.7.10

April 7, 2010 | By Shannon Kelly

We're thrilled- the intersection of food and fashion makes its way to Japan via "farm gals".

FOOD

Can a food truck make your brand hip? Some well-established restaurants think so.
Cupcakes or cash- people choose favorite foods over Money according to survey released by the American Heart association.
Trade school tuition is up but does culinary school matter?

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FASHION

Designing Minds features one of our favorite fashion storytellers: Erin Featherston.
We're super excited about the launch of Viva Vena- the Vena Cava diffusion line!
Movista: Has branded merchandise gone too far?
In Memoriam: Alexander McQueen's final bow.

Tags: cupcakes, food trucks, food, japan, inspiration, womenswear, apparel, sweets, fashion

made by robots

August 4, 2009 | By Shannon Kelly

Fascinated by how this industrial robot maker in central Japan opened a ramen noodle shop where two robot arms work as hi-tech chefs that feed and entertain customers.

Tags: japan, food