Get'fast fashion "of South Korea, Singapore

  In Japanese "fast fashion" competitive market two new Asian brands have recently come to challenge their national and western rivals.

Charles & Keith based Mixxo South Korea and Singapore have called both stores here in recent months to life.

Big names in their country and beyond, but new in Japan, both are confident that they will win to differentiate themselves from their competitors, the heart of Japanese women.

The operating company Mixxo, eland, based in Seoul, opened its first store in Japan in March in Yokohama Sogo department store and the second in April, Sendai.

Eland, over 150 brands and 10,000 stores worldwide, in 2010 launched Mixxo managed.

Targeting mainly women in their 20s to 40s, said that if Mixxo his clothes are designed to Asian women in general in terms of color and size will fit, but also produced exclusively for Japanese customers.

To put out of the way, especially in the Japanese market Mixxo an advantage over competitors in fast fashion, including Gap says from the United States, Spain, Zara, H & M Sweden and Japan The brand Uniqlo.

Other retail clothing manufacturer of private label "play an important role in the creation of fashion brands in the world today, and the Japanese market is the center of this development," said Jang Seong Jong, director of sales Eland Japan Inc., Japan Mixxo operates.

"We studied the Japanese market in the last two or three years and decided that we are now ready to present our products and services in Japan," Jang said in an interview with The Japan Times earlier this month.

Jang said that we specially designed for Japanese customers with products and sizes is important because "people consider the colors and costumes first and then try. Yet the decision to buy items if they fall depends".

Eland has with Seven & I Holdings Co., convenience stores, department stores and shopping centers operating partnership.

The store Sogo Yokohama has 500 square meters of retail space, most of the soil and the atmosphere is much more stylish than the relaxed atmosphere Uniqlo and H & M.

Prices range 12900-5990 ¥ for jackets, up ¥ 2,990 ¥ 5,990 and ¥ 2.990 ¥ 6.990 for blouses for skirts and pants.

Eland Japan said that it plans 20-30 stores in 2015, and open letters to ¥ 20 billion euros in sales. The company is also planning another brand, imagine SPCA in July.

Headquartered in Singapore, has fast fashion brand Charles & Keith's first flagship store in the Japanese Harajuku district of Tokyo on 6 April opened.

The store is located near the center of the legendary fashion district, in front of the building La Foret Fashion Business H & M.

"I'm thrilled thrilled by the whole thing. Harajuku is one of the most famous shopping streets in the world," Fong Shee Beng, Executive Director of Charles & Keith, said shortly after the inauguration.

Fong said the strength of the Charles & Keith is a "good mix" of luxury and affordability.

The 230-square-foot store evokes the atmosphere of a luxury business, while objects, especially shoes and bags are valued at about ¥ 3,000 to ¥ 8,000.

To differentiate its brand Charles & Keith fast fashion rivals focused on shoes and accessories such as handbags and purses.

"When you talk about Uniqlo, H & M and Zara, they are mainly clothing .... For us, we have shoes and accessories. This is a little different," Fong said.

He added that the Japanese market for new entrants to be large enough successful, and there are not many players with a focus on specialty Charles & Keith, said: "We are very confident."

Charles & Keith, who has more than 300 stores worldwide, already has two other stores in Japan opened in a Yokohama and Osaka. It is planned to open 40 over the next three years.

June Kagaya, the Japanese branch of Charles & Keith leads, said the brand saw steady sales since its debut here.

"We believe that not too many people know our brand, our plan was to increase sales, we gradually improve brand awareness," he said.

The company has had a good start, especially in the flagship store in Harajuku, where turnover is about 1.5 times higher than expected, although it may be only one opening, said Kagaya bladder.

In Singapore, Charles & Keith stores located in malls, but the company decided to open the Harajuku store independently to increase brand awareness, Kagaya said.

The opening of other stores like this to be an option if it is proved can to win the first customer as Harajuku, but the company is introducing new stores primarily in shopping centers and buildings store mode, he said.

Although both newcomers believe they can gain a foothold in the Japanese market, some industry observers say it is a big challenge for them to grow to the size of the giants of fashion as Uniqlo Japan, which is already seeing fierce competition from fast Fashion designers and other clothing manufacturers.

However, because the market of Japanese fashion is so diverse, it is possible to carve out a new niche player, an analyst who wished to remain anonymous said.