20 JAN 2011 AT THE BARBICAN!!

This could be interesting...might have to check this out...
http://www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery/event-detail.asp?ID=11302

.Anna.

FUTURE BEAUTY 30 YEARS OF JAPANESE FASHION AT THE BARBICAN

Helena and I visited this exhibition back in November as part of our cultural research of Japan, in a fashion context. It was a really great exhibition and there were some amazing original pieces on show from iconic Japanese deigners such a Issey Miyake of course & Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo, Tao Kurihara...


"Japanese designers introduced revolutionary conceptual form and the language of deconstruction thereby changing international fashion forever" -Barbican, 2010
So far through our research I think we have discovered that Japanese fashion and design is like no other, unique in its daring ways that other cultures just haven't captured. The beauty industry should follow suit...there is a definite gap in the market for innovation in cosmetics!!

.Anna.

BIG EYES

For many girls in Japan, they deisre the wide-eyed look depicted in anime cartoons tahe take inspiration from a western face. This larger eye shape can be achived through carefully applied make up that creates the illusion of a larger eye and also by wide contact lenses that are now widely available for anyone to purchase. Lady Gaga in the Bad Romance video wore some!

 

.Anna.

PINK AND GIRLY EVERYWHERE

Cuteness is at the heart of Japanese popular culture and Helena and I certainly noticed this in the form of cosmetic brands too. One example of this was at Jill Stuart, which was created by an American lady who has really tapped into the make up market over there selling Parisen-esque chic but very girly almost childlike in the way it is presented. Everything seems to scream girly pureness and innocence, and this appears to flow across a range of marketing ephemera from other brands, here I have just scanned in a few of them that also denote this girlish cuteness. In Japanese the word kawaii is used to explain the epitome of cute wihch is used almost like a compliment.

.Anna.

SHIBUYA 109 STORE

There are severeal 109 stores in Tokyo and Helena and I visted the one in Shibuya, it's a department store that sells mainly womens apparel but does have a mens floor. There is a definite look that goes with the 109 stores, based mainly on that 'tanned, over groomed and styled to the max' Ganguro guys and girls work in all of the mini-shop style concessions within the store. The customer experience is very interactive, with the sales assistants welcoming you to their shop and calling to you to come in even if you are just walking past.
I personally like this friendly atmosphere and the Japanese consumer seems to require a very high standard of customer service that appears to be consistent across all forms of retail environments.

.Anna.

KIKO MIZUHARA

I came across this model and actress on the Nylon Japan site, she was born in America but raised in Tokyo. She has appeared in Seventeen and Vivi magazine, Vivi being one of the best selling womens fashion magazines in Asia aimed at 17-27 year old women predominantly students and fashion conscious working women.
Although her audience as been quite young, I feel that she pulls off some really quite strong looks and is very different from other Japanese models in fashion and beauty mags aimed at young Asian women that I have seen so far.

.Anna.

PALM MAGAZINE JAPAN - ISSUE 04

I picked up this magazine called Palm at the Tokyo magazine centre, which was a mission to find but it was well worth it. I love this shoot, especially the make up, these scanned images certainly do not do the shoot any justice, but I had to post it on here as I just love it so much!!
Ignore the strange translated English (see shoot title) hehe. Anyway the make up is great, very psychotic an just beautifully styled.

These 'finger tassles' are just amazing!!

.Anna.

TOKYO LASHES

I took this photo in a department store in called 109 in Shibuya, I couldn't help but notice how so many of the girls wore false lashes. I think it is to achieve that desired Western 'wide-eyed' look. Of course the Shu Uemura Tokyo Lash bar has been around since 2009, but it would be interesting to see what other brands offer more avant garde lashes.


Pics from himedesire.xanga.com Blog>

 

 

.Anna.

JAPANESE CHARACTERS.

Japan certainly loves its cartoon characters. They heavily use them within their advertising for their brand, and to draw the consumer in. One observation I found interesting while in Tokyo was that even males had these characters they adored on their phones as charms or attached to their man bags! Even cafes or restaurants may have their own character! Here are a few examples ... (If you click on this link you can learn about the characters personalities etc http://8tokyo.com/category/character/)

~ Helena

NAIL ART IS BIG. REALLY BIG.

The Nail Art industry in Tokyo is huge! They love their nails, and the crazier the better it seems! After observing many girls with overly embellished nails, and talking to some of the girls at Bunka, a brand extension for Illamasqua into Nail Art (or a Nail Bar) certainly looks like an interesting avenue to explore further. After some research I found out about the Nail Art Expo Tokyo hold yearly. The Expo attracts around 50,000 visitors and according to 'Bella Sugar' the Nail industry in Tokyo is a 200 million yen market and shows no signs of slowing down!
Here are some photos I took in Tokyo of nails, and some from the 2010 Tokyo Nail Expo.

~ Helena

TOKYO: AESOP STORE OPENING.

Cosmetics brand Aesop has just launched its new flagship store in Tokyo, positioned in the district of Aoyama. The store is a collaboration design with Japanese architect Jo Nagasaka and its design is interesting through its use of Japanese Tradition which fuses modern with the traditional. It uses traditional wood along with other materials. The result is a clean straight lined retail space that allows Aesop's products to speak for themselves. 

~ Helena

MINI HAS GOT MY ATTENTION.

Whilst in Tokyo we visited the district of Ginza, where we came across one of Mini's promotional strategies in action. Looking at what different companies are doing in ways of promotional and communication strategies is important for both inspiration and to see what companies are currently doing. In Ginza, Mini had one of their latest models on a podium which was slowly turning whilst artists drew and painted on it free hand to create a piece of artwork. Consumers were then handed a miniature version of the mini on the podium and given pens so that they too could decorate the mini as they wished. 

And next it looks like the 'Indoor Drive In Cinema' ... certainly one to watch out for ...! (visit thecoolhunter.com for more info)

~ Helena