Ginza

Big drama at Prada Japan. Our sister blog Daily Finance has a fascinating piece on a legal imbroglio that has dogged the luxury retailer's Japan branch. A former retail manager at Prada Japan, Rina Bovrisse (pictured), has claimed that the retailer forced employees to buy Prada bags and other items in order to cover up the fact that sales were falling. Bovrisse faced the luxury retailer in complaint court in Japan. That case was ruled "unsettled," and so a civil lawsuit was filed.

Bovrisse and two other former employees claim that, beginning in January 2009, the company forced its workers to purchase products. The sales could not be entered as employee purchases but had to be entered as a customer's full price purchase. That way the purchases would give Prada Milan, the worldwide headquarters of the brand, the impression that Japanese stores were meeting their sales targets. Employees were then paid back out of funds that were to be used for the company's holiday party and were marked as as "campaign" salary. But even then the employees were responsible for taxes on what was considered bonus pay and had to pay additional money. This situation limped along for a while and even after the reimbursements ran dry some Prada Japan employees were told that they needed to continue to purchase products or else the company would be forced to downsize. The requirements continued and Bovrisse says she personally bought $20,000 worth of products. Employees were strapped, they were struggling to pay their bills but were also scared that if they didn't buy they wouldn't have jobs. It's unclear when if ever Prada Milan knew about the program but so far it has denied responsibility for the program.

Luxury continues to be in flux in Japan.In 2008 Louis Vuitton scrapped plans for a new Ginza flagship store. Last year, Versace pulled out of Japan altogether. Instead of luxury stores, it's fast fashion stores like Uniqlo, H&M and Zara that are doing big business now. Forever 21 recently opened in the Ginza district where once only luxury brands flourished. In the past years, logo chasing was important to the Japanese but now many trendsetters favor a high-low approach, combining expensive pieces with more inexpensive items or pairing vintage finds with new pieces. The recognizable names are no longer quite as valuable to the consumer and luxury brands have seen sales drop as a result.

Tokyo's Ginza district has long been known as Japan's most fashionable shopping street but the street's changes reflecting the country's fluctuating economic picture. The Independent has an interesting piece on the street's shifting fortunes which have seen luxury brands moving out to make room for a new kind of retailer. In 2008 Louis Vuitton scrapped plans for a new Ginza flagship store. Last year, Versace pulled out of Japan altogether. But those store windows aren't staying vacant. Instead fast fashion stores like Uniqlo, Abercrombie & Fitch, H&M and Zara have moved in. The operators of Japan's Seibu department store announced that the store is closing but Forever 21 is moving in. Where there was once Gucci, now there is Gap.

Last year I wrote about the changing look of luxury in Japan. In the past years, logo-chasing was important to the Japanese shead-to-toe Louis Vuitton was seen as chic. Now many trendsetters favor a high-low approach, combining expensive pieces with more inexpensive items or pairing vintage finds with new pieces. The Ginza area still has enough fancy stores to attract tourists in search of a bit of glamour but with tourism down, focusing on more dependable, regular shoppers seems like a smart strategy.

It was a quite the scene in Tokyo on Monday when people linked up to get free diamonds. French jeweler Mauboussin gave away .1 carat diamonds in order to drum up attention for their brand. People came from surrounding cities to line up for the promotion. The tiny diamonds are worth about $50 each. The Maboussin flagship Japan store opened in the Ginza shopping area earlier this year but found that they weren't getting a lot of foot traffic because the store's name was basically unknown. Maboussin will make any free diamond into a ring or pendant but that will cost around $500.

Earlier this month my colleague Deirdre Woollard reported that Louis Vuitton had cut its prices in Japan by 7 percent in an effort to boost flagging sales. Now parent company LVMH has scrapped plans for a brand new Vuitton flagship store in Tokyo's glamorous Ginza shopping district. The 10-floor luxury behemoth complete with restaurant had been slated for opening in 2010, Reuters reports. An official for the developer, Hulic Co Ltd, said the proposed building would probably still be constructed for a different high-end brand. An LVMH spokesman confirmed that Louis Vuitton had withdrawn from the project but "declined to explain the decision or comment on its plans."

The Ginza Table is a lovely dining room table from the Armani Casa collection. The table is made in Italy and has rich brown oak paneling. It is large, measuring 29 1/2" x 106 3/10" x 41", with single-piece legs that are slightly flared "to evoke lightness." The flair of those legs, in addition to the basic lines of the table, also give the piece a slightly Asian look to it: streamlined and simple, yet elegant. It is a timeless piece of furniture that will complement many home designs. Price: $5,995.

There is another picture, to provide a sense of scale, after the jump.

[via Elle Decor]

Another posh boutique is coming to the Ginza area of Tokyo. Chanel already opened a luxe boutique in the area and now WWD reports that Bulgari will put it's biggest store ever, a 10-story tower, in the posh shopping district. The new store will open at the end of next year and will also serve as headquarters for Bulgari Japan. The tower will have a rooftop garden (like the Chanel store), VIP rooms and a restaurant and bar. The glass facade of the building is meant to evoke a jewelry display case.