FASHION
An Oasis in Omotesando Rock star’s fashion brand inspired by British music and culture
By Megan Waters t t t t
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iam Gallagher, former front man of English rock band Oasis, may not seem like a typical fashion lover. However, Pretty Green, the rocker’s clothing label, has been hugely successful since the 2010 opening of its first store in London. The menswear brand has won numerous accolades, including the 2010 Drapers Menswear Brand of the Year award, and is the first brand to be so honoured a mere one year after it had opened for
Liam Gallagher’s clothing label mixes rock heritage with a quintessential British flavour.
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business. In 2011, it was selected as the Best Breakthrough Brand at the renowned WGSN Global Fashion Awards, organised by the Worth Global Style Network Limited fashion trend forecasting company. The Pretty Green brand mixes rock heritage with a quintessential British flavour. It first went into business in the UK as a wholesaler, before expanding to 12 flagship retail stores, including one shop in Tokyo that opened in July 2012. “The most successful thing about the brand is that it only took three months from the establishment of the company here to the opening of the Tokyo store�, said Koji Kato, representative director and chief executive officer of Pretty Green Japan K.K. “This is probably the shortest time within which any fashion brand here has opened their flagship store�, Kato added. In addition to its first retail outlet, in Omotesando, the brand has opened six successful pop-up shops in major department stores, including Isetan. According to Kato, it is extremely difficult for new brands to achieve a presence at this prestigious retailer. Then, in April, the brand scored another—its most recent—pop-up store opening: in Yurakucho’s Hankyu Men’s. The Pretty Green brand has Black Label, Green Label and Denim product lines. Black Label clothing combines
fine fabrics (such as silk and leather) to produce statement investment pieces. The Green Label, meanwhile, offers a variety of everyday casual clothing. Then there is a limited edition, capsule collection that has been designed exclusively for the Japanese market. The label also has certain special projects each season that are inspired by music culture. According to Sony, the Gallagher brothers have a global fan base of about 800,000 admirers, of whom some 300,000 are in Asia alone. Liam has visited Japan many times and even played with his band, Beady Eye, at Fuji Rock Festival ’12. He also played at other concerts to support victims of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Kato met Liam Gallagher for the first time when the latter came to Japan for the store opening. “After Liam saw the store, he believed the brand would be a big success here�, he said. As a keen guitar player and a lover of British music, Kato was drawn to the Pretty Green brand. “I have always had this notion that fashion and music are stuck together. I believe that they co-exist and prosper together. Thus, it was a very natural decision for me to join Pretty Green�, he explained.