PROFILE
He also works at GR8, a select store in Laforet Harajuku, where he is in charge of buying as well as special project manager for in-shop events.
. carefully creating buzz and stories through the power of social networking.
It is said that fashion items are having a hard time selling these days, but can you tell us about the products that did well in the 2021 Spring/Summer season at GR8, which carries both high-end brands and core brands that are rarely sold in Japan?
Takahashi:Although some orders were cancelled due to the Corona disaster and have not yet been fully launched, there were three brands that exploded onto the scene. The first is a Korean sunglasses brand called "Gentle Monster," and the second is "nicedreams," which just had a one-day pop-up in February. The third is "99%IS-" a shoe lace brand. . The third is "99%IS-" laces.
How do you see the reason for the dramatic sales of each of these products?
Takahashi:Gentle Monster" is not carried by many stores in Japan, so I think there is still a lack of supply, but the collection is well updated each time it is released, and above all, the power of social networking is very strong. I believe that Korean artists, who have world-class influencing power, post on IG (Instagram) one after another, and this directly leads to sales. Even though there are only a few brands that move sunglasses, we have digested more than 40 percent in a little over a week.
Wellington-shaped eyewear by Gentle Monster, a sunglasses brand founded in South Korea in 2011. In the past, the brand has collaborated with Fendi and Alexander Wang. ¥34,650 each
What do you think of "Nice Dreams," which seems to have a strong fan base, given the enthusiasm of "Dogs"?
Takahashi:On the day we held the pop-up, we had Jelly paint clouds on mannequins. There were many of his original fans, but I got the impression that there were also people who came to like his artwork as a derivative of his live painting. Before the release of "GR8," we send out a newsletter, and we asked our staff to write a poem about "Nice Dreams" to create a storyline leading up to the day of the event. The number of subscribers to the newsletter is close to 100,000, so we had a steady stream of visitors throughout the day, from customers around "Dogs" to friends of Jelly's. The clothes sold out almost in a day. Clothes were sold out in one day, and one customer even purchased the painted mannequin (330,000 yen).
Hoodie sweatshirt by [Nice Dreams]. The embroidery is a motif used on the jacket of Dr. Dre's famous album "The Chronic" and is a remake of HIPHOP wear from the 2000s . All items from this brand are sold out.
. Also, the "99%IS-" shoelaces that you are wearing right now, Mr. Takahashi.
Takahashi:This was a project that I had been talking with the designer about for about a year. This time, we carefully prepared the look, video, and teaser as assets before the launch, and we wanted to create a so-called buzz. The designer also posted on Instagram every day, and the entire staff of "GR8" and the brand side of the project were working on uploading the video. HYPEBEAST" in Korea took the lead in picking up the story, and it spread to the home country and the Japanese edition. From there, each staff member tagged everything from the media accounts to the brand, "GR8," and me, and everything was linked and regrouped. By scheduling prices and release methods to not be announced until the day before, we could sense that consumers were becoming more willing to buy. We created an atmosphere where each follower could tell that we were doing something.
Basically, "GR8" is sold online first, but this time, the shoelaces were sold at physical stores first. Customers would post Stories of me lacing up their sneakers on the spot, and I would regram them, and so on, creating a story. The next day, we launched the shoes online, and they sold out in about five minutes.
Bajo's has launched UPSIDE DOWN ATT1%TUDE, a shoe lace that secures by threading the laces from top to bottom. , which was born from an experience as a child of having to thread his shoelaces backwards because he didn't want to just do what he was told to do.
I guess close communication with the designers is a prerequisite for creating such excitement.
Takahashi:. Yes, I do. I feel that communication with designers has become deeper, especially since the current situation. I get more frequent "How are sales going? We spend more time discussing each other's requests than exchanging information, which has clearly increased. Of course, it is impossible to contact all brands, but every day I receive an approach from someone at IG.
. I think that the current situation is influenced by the various changes that have occurred since the pandemic. Do you see any changes in your customers' consumption trends over the past year, or do you feel that they have remained the same?
Takahashi:. There is a strong tendency toward simplicity. For example, we have heard from people who used to be able to wear flashy items that they have nowhere else to wear them, and we have clearly understood the negative aspects of the Corona Disaster. Brands that sell well do sell well, and there are brands that are difficult to sell. However, even if we receive only a small number of orders, we are always looking for ways to continue our business with them, and we are focusing on the aspect of increasing the digestibility of orders. By doing so, we have realized that it changes the mindset of both the staff and the creators. This will turn the current negative situation into a positive one. This change has been very significant.
I know you had to close your store under the emergency declaration, but you also said that your online sales grew very much year over year.
Takahashi:Yes . We had a thorough process of uploading items to Instagram before releasing them to the market, but items that sell well online are simple and easy to understand in design, and items that people know their sizes tend to sell well. On the other hand, in-store sales are centered on customers who have not changed their stance, and whom we are very proud of, and who purchase even the most expensive items after seeing them in person.
For your information, what was the previous season's strong showing in the fall/winter of 2020?
Takahashi:There is a huge difference in budgets, so it's hard to make a simple comparison, but I'd say "Balenciaga," "Readymade," and "Rick Owens. However, if you look at the digestion rate, Korean brands such as "99%IS-", "Post-Archive Faction", and "Kang Hyuk" are amazing. As I mentioned earlier, Korean brands that have fans among the younger generation have one thing in common: they are world-class in the way they present their products on social networking sites. . They don't even stay in the stores.
T-shirts and knitwear from Penultimate, one of the brands Takahashi is keeping an eye on. The Chinese-born designer Shan Gao graduated from Parsons School of Design and worked as a knitwear designer on Raf Simons' CALVIN KLEIN 205W 39 NYC team from its inception. ¥37,400+TAX , Knit ¥77,000
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