Following last year’s success, “tokyoeye 2017 Project” is underway. The project is being held as part of an initiative funded by the Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation (SME Support) to assist up-and-coming small and medium fashion brands which aim to expand overseas. The Japan Fashion Week Organization (JFWO) was assigned to operate the project as it did last year. A total of 19 women’s fashion brands, largely those that participated in Amazon Fashion Week Tokyo, are taking part in the Project.

The project invited Ms. Hannah Bibb of Barneys New York to lead the advice sessions individually for the participating brands from November 7 to 11.

Ms. Hannah, the assistant fashion director at Barneys New York, checks world brands every season in London, Paris, and New York to fulfill her role of picking out new brands for Barneys and showing buying directions to its buyers of women’s fashion. As it was her first visit to Japan, she checked the archives of the participating brands and their plans for 2017 fall/winter thoroughly with eagerness and gave them advice.

She held the brands in high regard as a whole with the comment, “Many brands are very creative and made clothes with a high degree of skill. Some of them adopt handcraft methods which is refreshing to see in such a saturated and mechanical market.
She also expressed her expectations for the next season’s collections by the participating brands, saying, “ I am excited to see how each brand continues to evolve from the feedback provided and hopefully there is opportunity in the American market for each brand to expand and succeed.”

The project is intended to develop and improve products through advice by overseas experts from the aspect of product planning and business. After three advisory sessions by overseas experts in July and November 2016, and January 2017, some of the participants will exhibit their work in the “mahna mahna showroom” to be held in New York from February 24 to 28, 2017, where they will be evaluated by overseas buyers.

In early January 2017, Ms. Kaori Cipriano, the director of the mahna mahna showroom, will be invited following her visit in July.

Inquiry

tokyoeye@ifs.co.jp
tokyokeye 2017 Project Secretariat
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