The Japanese are increasingly asking American designers to create collections - often anonymously - specifically for Asia. The same thing happened a decade ago with lesser-known European talents.
The Japanese company Onward Kashiyama is in talks with Anna Sui to design a line for its Japanese Bus Stop stores. Sanyo in Tokyo wants an American for a planned younger Burberry line. And Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Michael Leva and Kenneth Richard have become consultants for Japanese collections in the last two years."To a lot of people it doesn't make sense to do licensing anymore and pay a lot for licensing fees and royalties," said Kazusa Jibiki, the American representative for Renown Look. The company has the rights to distribute Look by Marc Jacobs in Japan and produces a Japanese bridge collection called Two C designed by Jacobs.
There has been a shift in Japanese tastes from designer merchandise to bridge fashions.
"The concept of bridge is American sportswear," said Pierre Rogier, a spokesman for Kashiyama. Its year-old ICB bridge line is designed by Kors. "That's why the idea and all the images for ICB have to be American," he added.
Leva's deal is with the Miki Corp., based in Tokyo. "It's good money for very little headache," he said. "I literally made no money when I worked on my own. I make good money now."
- Constance C.R. White