fast fashion

The Downscaling of Ginza, The Changing Face Of Japanese Luxury

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.

Tags: fast fashion, FastFashion, forever 21, Forever21, ginza, gucci, hm, japan, louis vuitton, LouisVuitton, shopping, tokyo, zara

Jimmy Choo For H&M

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags, Shoes

Fast fashion just got a boost with the announcement that H&M is partnering with shoe and handbag brand Jimmy Choo. The luxury brand, famous for sky-high stilettos and large purses, will create a line of shoes, bags and accessories for men and women that arrive in stores on November 14. Tamara Mellon, Jimmy Choo's founder and chief executive, promises "a sophisticated, fashion forward, accessible and glamorous collection - the perfect party pieces to buy now and then wear out that night!"

Jimmy Choo will create clothing for H&M which will be designed to match the accessories rather than the other way around. With all the designers pairing up with lower-priced stores there has been a bit of high-low fatigue lately but this particular collaboration should be a hot seller.

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Tags: fast fashion, FastFashion, hm, jimmy choo, JimmyChoo, shoes