August 1, 2015 Ms. Samantha Kain, Press V Magazine 11 Mercer Street New York, NY 10013 Dear Ms. Samantha Kain: Greetings! SAKURA brings exciting information that we would like to share with you. On August 1, 2015, SAKURA will collaborate with HaaT by Issey Miyake to use unique fabrication methods to produce a new line of clothing. HaaT is creating unique fabrics through Indian craftsmanship while using Japanese traditional techniques to dye the fabric. This will be the first collaboration for SAKURA, with the hopes that this collaboration will pave the way for more collaborations to come. This media kit includes following:
Press Release, collaboration with HaaT
Marketing Spread, new collaboration collection
Q&A interview, Simmy Kwon Vaka
2 reviews, SAKURA and Issey Miyake
Please review the enclosed media kit. If you have any questions about SAKURA, please contact me at (425)-xxx-xxxx or by email nishio.arisa@sakura.com.
Sincerely,
Arisa Nishio Chief Executive Officer
NEWS RELEASE
Arisa Nishio
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Chief Executive Officer
August 1, 2015
(425) – XXX – XXXX nishio.arisa@sakura.com
SAKURA Collaborates with Issey Miyake, HaaT for Fall Collection August 1, 2015. (New York, NY) – SAKURA is proud to announce its collaboration with HaaT by Issey Miyake for Fall 2015. This will be the first collaboration for SAKURA. This 20piece collection is for both men and women who appreciate art and fashion. Working with HaaT will create a unique garment, introducing the beginning of a new wave in fashion. The theme of collaboration is “Autumnal Tints”, “Café Coffee Day”, “Monochromatic Time”, and “Early Winter Dew”. These collections will feature various fall colors, including warm to cool colors as well as some neutral colors. All garments are complimented with a Japanese tradition concept, while still maintaining a modern and trendy look. Each piece will be crafted to keep you warm as this season arrives. These garments, made in Japan, are the results of fabrication through manufacturing the garments individually, giving each garment a unique texture and appearance with the upmost consistency. To learn more about SAKURA’s collaboration with Issey Miyake, contact Arisa Nishio at (425)-xxx-xxxx or nishio.arisa@sakura.com. -###-
Japanese Modern Fashion Can Japanese Fashion survive in the current fashion industry? By: Arisa Nishio Surviving in the fashion world is very harsh and crucial. Top designers, luxury brands, and fast fashion brands from all over the world compete each other and intent on doing the best. One of the Japanese fashion brands, SAKURA is coming out as a new brand and how it should compete with other fashion brands. Now, Simmy Kwon Vaka, who is a lifestyle and fashion blogger of “Live Love Shop by Simmy”, and used to own online Jewelry shop, talks about Japanese fashion. Arisa Nishio: What would you consider when you purchase fashion items? Simmy Kwon Vaka: Well, it depends on fashion items. For clothes, I consider trend and color, but I tend to choose simple clothes which I can coordinate with other clothes easily. Like accessories, I always choose simple and long-lasting items. Arisa: Do you like Japanese fashion? What do you like it about? Simmy: Yes, totally! There are so many choices with affordable prices. And the quality is better than fast fashion brand like Forever 21. Arisa: Who is your favorite Japanese designer? Why do you like her? Simmy: I don’t have particular favorite designer, but I have few items from LIMI feu. What I like about her design is simple, still it keeps unique and feminine. Arisa: What do you know about Japanese traditional clothing specifically? Simmy: Well, I don’t know much about Japanese traditional clothing in specific, but I tried to wear kimono few times. I don’t know how to wear it for the first time, so that the lady who is specialized in wearing kimono helped me to wear kimono. It was so complicated to wear it because I needed to wear few layers of kimono which is more like underwear for kimono. After I wore it, I was amazed how beautiful it is. It was great experiences!
Arisa: SAKURA is a new Japanese-based apparel brand, and focuses on Japanese kimono fabric and organic cotton, do you want to purchase? Why or why not? Simmy: If I like the design, I might buy it. The interesting point of SAKURA is using kimono fabric because I really like the design of kimono fabric. It is amazingly beautiful and attractive. Arisa: SAKURA is going to collaborate with “Haat” by Issey Miyake. What do you expect its collaboration to be? Simmy: I have never heard of HaaT, so I don’t know much about it. But it is going to be a great collaboration with SAKURA since both brands are using unique Japanese fabrics. I think it’s very interesting that it is using different textures of fabrics into clothes. Arisa: Lastly, what is Japanese fashion for you? Simmy: Japanese fashion? Japanese fashion is unique and something different from other fast fashion brands and designers. They create “Japanese trends”, not “worldwide trends” and I really like the uniqueness of these trends because they give me creativities and varieties of styles.
Did you know traditional Japanese fashion is a huge trend this season? A lot of famous fashion designers are inspired by Japanese characters, arts and fabrics and integrating it into their garments. For example, Carvan’s theme of their 2015 Spring/Summer collection was a Japaneseinspired design where they used “Katakana” characters in T-shirts. Some designers who get inspiration from traditional Japanese designs have created interesting and unique designs this season. While these Japanese-inspired designs are likely odd for a native Japanese person, they are also fresh, creative and innovative fashion designs, creating a new wave for fashionistas. Additionally, Japanese local brands are expanding their business internationally. Japan Blue, a Japanese-based apparel brand, uses “Samurai Blue”—an indigo color to dye their denim. Using natural resources to dye the denim, they are able to create a beautiful deep blue denim. Another example is a brand called “Ikiji” that cooperates with local fashion manufacuturers to create creative and innovative clothing. While its clothing is used traditional Japanese designs, it is still nonetheless modern design. Ikiji has involved into European trade shows and has also gotten offers from European retailers. SAKURA is a new Japanese-based clothing brand founded by Arisa Nishio that features Japanese traditional fabric to bring into new styles. This newcomer brand, SAKURA, is recognized as
the combination of traditional and modern styles by fashionistas worldwidely. While the Japanese fashion market has become more competitive, SAKURA still leads as the fashionable brand, expanding its business successfully. This fall, SAKURA is due to collaborate with HaaT by Issey Miyake, one of the top Japanese apparel designers. This collaboration will be the first collaboration collection for SAKURA, and it will give great inspirations and new styles to fashionistas.
Issey Miyake, a world-renowned fashion designer, was born in 1938. He is a very creative and artistic person and always connects to art. He entered Tama Art University and studied design after graduating from high school. While he was studying there, he was awarded as “Soen-Award” for two years in a row. His designs were preeminent. After he graduated from the university he went to Paris and studied at Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne because he hated the fashion design in Japan which lacked uniqueness and creativity. He worked under Givenchy and Geoffrey Beene to gain experience. He learned elegance designs in Paris and functional and practical designs in New York. He was influenced by “prêt-àporter”, designed as practical daily garments rather than designed garments. When he came back to Japan, he founded Miyake Design Company in 1970. He had his Paris collection for first time in 1973. The collection was not influenced by either Western or Eastern clothing, instead creating “world clothing” which covers the body with one cloth. His compilation “Issey Miyake East Meets West” in 1978 was the collaboration of cloth and body that created a comfortable and loose fit. During the 1970’s, Japan began to adapt the usage of developed technology, while traditional techniques were fading. Miyake reconsidered about the traditional techniques of dyeing
and weaving textiles and collaborated with these processes into creating modern designs. His design focused on one cloth which creates the space. The concept of his brand is creation and the acknowledgement of how technology helps realize and fulfill that. Each of his collections is created by his new ideas through modern technologies that allow people to wear them comfortably. One of his brands, HaaT, is based on three types of “heart”. First is the gathering of materials from village markets, the integration of new technologies, and the observance of beauty from all over the world. Next is “HEART” which utilizes Japanese traditional techniques into modern garments. Lastly, “HAATH” means the collaboration of Japanese designers and Indian craftsmanship. HaaT accepts both older, traditional and new technologies when creating designs and garments.