The Sebinomics Blog 1.0

Fashion designer Coco Chanel once said, “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” 

JAMOSA, Japanese pop singer

I don’t know much about fashion, but having lived in Japan for about one year made me realize that fashion trends are not necessarily set by fashion designers. Eimi Graham writes in her Who sets the fashion trends? “Japanese society is obsessed with its idols. It appears that every single fashion trend in Japan appears to have been started by an idol or a TV talent rather than a fashion designer. It would not be an exaggeration to say that if a Japanese idol were to start dressing in metal or paper or plastic dresses, half of Japan will embrace it.” She continues, “The trends in Japanese fashion are moving in a direction when it is perfectly fine to show off as much skin as possible – something that was not common a decade or so ago. Some of the developments in fashion these days are mind-blowing since they have simply changed the very fundamentals of Japanese values.”

Tokyo Street Fashion

Especially in Tokyo and Osaka, I saw many girls looking like cover girls and pop singers. And, I mean, looking exactly the same. These girls recreate the styles of tarentos and idols from outfit to make-up and could steel their mentors’ show in the blink of an eye. Japanese companies have realized this kind of behavior and have brought well known faces into their campaigns. If stars like Hamasaki Ayumi, JAMOSA, DOUBLE, or Shion show up with stylish boots, a cool MP3 player, or a trendy hairstyle, girls will want to copy them. It’s as easy as that. 

It doesn’t happen only in Asia. Just think of all our ‘homies‘ wearing baggy pants, bandanas, and sports shirts from NBA, NHL, or NFL teams. That style was introduced by Hip Hop artists like 5 Fab Freddy, Snoop Dogg, and others, and has ever since been part of that kind of lifestyle. Again, no designer created it. Stars brought it to the masses. 

As a marketer, I see the trend going towards sponsored branding. Give your products to celebrities and let them spread the buzz. I wrote about it in my Remarkable Rivella vs Fashionable Sigg article. The same idea is entering the music market, but I’ll write about it in another post.