Skip to main content
The Business of Fashion

Japan

Global Markets

Ralph Lauren’s World-Building PoloFest ‘Experiment’ Lands in Tokyo

The immersive event featured an archive exhibition, vintage marketplace and speaker series, building on a brand strategy aimed at creating cultural currency with younger shoppers.

Global Markets

Why Japanese Brands Are Winning Over the Luxury Menswear Market

A cohort of Japanese labels is defying the luxury slump with a blend of tastefully understated design, meticulous craftsmanship and accessible pricing. 

Retail

Fast Retailing’s GU Unveils First Collection by Francesco Risso

GU, a lower-priced counterpart to Uniqlo, is betting a former luxury fashion designer can help turn $18 jeans into global success.

Global Markets

How Japanese Textile Innovators Won Over Global Fashion

Combining centuries-old craftsmanship with pioneering materials and creative surface design, Japanese mills supply some of the world’s biggest fashion brands, from Levi’s to Chanel.

ADVERTISEMENT

Retail

Uniqlo-Owner Fast Retailing Flags Record Year After Strong Quarter

Fast Retailing raised its full-year profit forecast after reporting a stronger-than-expected jump in quarterly profit driven by international growth.

Retail

Fast Retailing Hikes Annual Forecast After Quarterly Profits Surge

The Uniqlo owner cited robust sales growth globally that helped it absorb US tariffs.

Retail

Nigo’s Human Made Boosts Tokyo IPO Price

The streetwear brand has increased the price of its initial share sale following strong investor demand.

Retail

Uniqlo Owner Fast Retailing Posts Record Profit for Fourth Year, Beating Forecasts

The Japanese retail giant reported record annual profits, driven by strong sales in Japan and the US.

ADVERTISEMENT

Global Markets

Japan’s Department Store Shares Lag as Tourist Splurge Slows

Low confidence stemming from economic uncertainty has crimped tourist budgets with data compiled by the Japan Department Stores Association showing tax-free inbound sales at over 80 department stores across the country fell by 41 percent in May from a year earlier.

Global Markets

Why Japanese E-Commerce Giant Rakuten Is Betting Big on AI

The e-tailer’s head of fashion Ryo Matsumara sees its recent investments in semantic search and other artificial intelligence features as key to driving sales growth in the country’s lucrative but lagging online luxury market.

Beauty

The Japanese Manicurist Taking on Plastic Pollution, One Nail at a Time

Tokyo-based nail technician Naomi Arimoto uses umigomi, or “sea trash,” to create intricate nail art designs, hoping to put environmental issues at the forefront of her customers’ minds.

Global Markets

Japan’s Secondhand Fashion Boom Is Bigger Than the Weak Yen

While the yen’s plummet drove a rush of international shoppers looking for bargains, Japan’s famously robust secondhand fashion market is set to keep growing even as the currency bounces back.