The Fashionistas Guide to Japanese Fashion Tribes - Essay Example

Teenage girls – controlling the global marketing machine Introduction The vibrant fashion styles that are depicted by the of Tokyo in Japan display the best feature of the city. The Japanese fashion is subjected to rapid changing fashion trend that is observed in the Fashionistas Guide to Japanese Fashion Tribes. The fashion system is continuously being reinvented by the Japanese teenage with the support of fashion parades, technology, and more of exploitation of teenage girls in the Japanese market place by various corporate giants. Promotion plays a very important factor in the global market due to intense competition and rapidly changing needs and wants of consumers in the globalized economy. Discussion During 19th century Japan started to emulate Western fashion. The fashion market of Japan maintains its position as one f the largest across the globe and has always been changing its trends which has even given birth to street fashion by Japanese girls that indicates mixing every fashion style possible so as to give a customized look. The aspect of sales and promotion has been always a primary concern for the fashion industry of Japan. May that be through fashion parades, street fashion style, Fashionistas magazine or any other form of promotional technique Japanese teenagers have always been associated with the fashion statement of Japan. Japan in the present scenario comprises of wide array of styles of dresses that includes both the foreign as well as local labels. In certain regions that of Tokyo the hip hop style was very strongly imitated by the youth of Tokyo and they preferred to wear hip hop style dresses to the over sized clothes. One of the major styles that are still prevalent in the Japan fashion market is that of street fashion that can advertised by many young generation girls on magazines or even on fashion parades as it denotes to be more trendy and fashionable (Kaser, 2012). There are various fashion theories however the acceptance of a fashion by a market segment can be well depicted through a fashion cycle. There are various phases of the fashion cycle such as introduction, rise in popularity, popularity peak, decline in popularity and finally rejection. The first phase or the introductory phase of fashion denotes the newness and a new design that has been created; the next stage is associated with gaining popularity when the same design is worn in TV by many celebrities and then the designers use low priced fabrics in order to sell more quantities at the lowest possible cost (Clammer, 2011). The third stage is peak of the popularity when more of designers copy the same design due to increase in demand and at various price ranges. The next stage is when the same design becomes so much popular that it observed everywhere and this is the time when the consumers gets bored of the style. The last stage is the rejection of the style that is more popularly known as fashion that becomes outdated. The fashion cycle can be illustrated further through the diagram given below- (English, 2013) The other fashion theory states the different ways through which a new style or design gets adapted to the lifestyle, budget and taste of different consumers. The first kind of adaptation is traditional or trickle-down theory which encompasses the traditional way to adapt the trendsetting fashion by well known designers from Paris, New York, London, etc. It starts as a high fashion which is later copied by many manufacturers to be sold at lower prices and becomes a common design that is observed by the customers. The second theory is trickle up theory or reverse adaptation that starts from street fashion and ends into a high fashion (Slade, 2009). This indicates that there are designers who observe the mix and match of style that people wear on streets and then copy them so as to set their own fashion label. The mass dissemination or trickle across theory can be stated as various form of modern communication that brings various style and designs together from wide array of designers. Mass production indicates that multiple and new forms of designs suitable for different tastes, preferences and age groups can be made acceptable at the same time (Smith & Taylor, 2004). The manufacturers in the fashion industry take effective measures in the Japanese market and also across the globe so that there fashion statement gains importance and are also acceptable across the world. The promotional techniques mainly comprise of teenage girls showing unique fashion style and even the culture and the latest fashion trend of Japan. The main reason behind this is to keep their fashion at the peak stage in the home country and also across the globe. The association of fashion with the teenage girls is to spread the message to the global consumers that Japanese fashion is most trendy and unique as those girls who wear those designed clothes. The fashion items of Japan are linked with the teenage so as to be more appealing to all global customers. Most commonly the Japanese fashion items are associated with female gender rather than with male gender it is believe by corporate giants in the fashion industry that Japanese teenage girls have the looks, posture and all the required features that would set high marks in the fashion industry as they could give a unique touch to the fashion wear. The trickle up theory is usually followed by Japanese in the fashion industry that is they adopt the street fashion into high fashion for the international markets. Conclusion The fashion industry of Japan is the world largest and most booming industry. The most common trend that is associated with fashion of Japan is the teenage girls who are considered to be the key drivers of the fashion industry. However there have been changes observed in the fashion industry over the years from street fashion to fashionistas guide and even fashion parade to spread across the fashion trend at a much faster pace. The key promotional strategy that is used by corporate to promote such fashionable clothes across the globe is to link them with all teenage Japanese girls so that they appear to be more appealing and trendy as per the changing fashion trends across the globe. References Clammer, J. (2011). Contemporary Urban Japan: A Sociology of Consumption. USA: John Wiley & Sons. Smith, P. R., & Taylor, J. (2004). Marketing Communications: An Integrated Approach. UK: Kogan Page Publishers. English, B. (2013). Japanese Fashion Designers. New York: Berg. Kaser, K. (2012). Advertising and Sales Promotion. USA: Cengage Learning. Slade, T. (2009). Japanese Fashion: A Cultural History. UK: Berg. Read More