Easy Shoes,Easy Life

MASAKI SATO & STEVE SNEDDON / TREND REPORT / TOKYO

One fairly large re-emerging trend for street fashion in Japan this year, especially into Autumn, was getting back to what we call the ‘American casual’ look – a work / outdoor style with baggy wear. To complement this, sneakers with volume and basic classic sneakers or sports trekking and mountain influenced boots were popping up everywhere.

SPX from the UK had a lot of quirky styles with substance and some great colour combinations which went down well. Domestic Japanese footwear and sneaker brands were again stronger than the usual main international players when it came to having the right styles at the right time. They have continued to come up with relevant styles, materials and colours for our market. I don’t see these brands individually growing too large but there will continue to be more of these brands starting up, which means even more tasty products – the competition is going to continue to make it more exciting for the consumer. A lot of these brands such as Rhythm, Fife, Visvim, Cause and newcomer POPO were heavy on the sports trekking and hardcore mountaineering look this Autumn and almost all styles sold well, it is a look that has really been picked up.

When it comes to those that want a more basic look – styles such as classic vulcanised hi-cuts or classic tennis shoes, with a little bit of an update are popular. SPINGLE MOVE is another new brand produced in Japan which has won some popularity due to its originality and comfort.

There is no one brand killing it here, hasn’t been for a while, so consumers continue to search for design, originality and distinctive colouring. We are betting on sports sneakers having a bit of a resurgence in Japan in mid to late summer 2008, the Olympics always helps that, so we think that the large international sports brands should have a bit of a bounce back next year.