Fashion Friday: The Struggle of Japanese Apparel and Footwear Brands

Apparel and footwear in Japan has been continuing to struggle, and retailers have been introducing new concepts in order to gain momentum. For instance, Fast Retailing opened a concept shop GU STYLE STUDIO in 2018, where consumers can create their own avatar to try on clothes. Another company, Zozo Inc, is a disruptor in the apparel market. Its main business is Zozotown, an e-commerce site dedicated to fashion products. It started off as is a platform of numerous apparel and footwear brands, but some manufactures express concern that having their products sold through the site will taint their brand image as the discount will make it look like the brand value has been lowered.