CATWALK
Louis Vuitton in Tokyo
Posted Thu, 08 Jun 2006

Louis Vuitton has taken its ready-to-wear collection on the road, staging its first catwalk show outside Paris in Asia's fashion capital Tokyo to woo new customers in one of the world's top markets for luxury goods.

"This show in Tokyo will remain the exception. It may be the only one," Vuitton chairman Yves Carcelle said after the presentation for hundreds of guests late Wednesday at a dome-shaped tent in Yumenoshima Park, in the east of the Japanese capital.

"We don't want to do 14 shows around the world, as that would just descend into something very commercial, and these shows must remain a snapshot of the fashion world at a given moment."

Ultra-hip US designer Marc Jacobs, who has rejuvenated the house's clothing lines since taking over as creative director in January 1997, made comfy chic the catch phrase for next winter when he first unveiled the Vuitton autumn-winter 2006-07 line in Paris three months ago.

In Tokyo, the 43-year-old New York native sent out models in thick sweater dresses layered over cropped trousers and wide-leg pant suits in putty, slate gray and black — looks that are sure to be seen on the streets of the Japanese capital in six months.

The runway show — attended by Bernard Arnault, chairman of parent company LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton — turned into a disco-themed bash complete with a surprise performance by diva Grace Jones that had the glitterati of the Tokyo fashion world dancing on the catwalk.

Japan which itself has a rich fashion tradition headlined by the likes of Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons — has long been a gold mine for French and Italian luxury fashion houses, which rake in phenomenal sales here despite high prices.

The world's second-largest economy offers an important strategic market for Louis Vuitton, as Japanese women snap up the house's signature monogrammed bags, and men have embraced Jacobs' particular brand of youthful, downtown style.

"This show is a way to help Louis Vuitton grow, to help develop the house's fashion vocabulary," Carcelle explained. "Each time, Marc fine-tunes themes that sometimes become permanent, like the multi-colored monogram canvas created by Murakami."

Jacobs and Japanese pop artist Takashi Murakami first collaborated in 2003 to create white handbags with rainbow-colored LVs, a unique take on the classic brown logo that sparked a buying frenzy. This season, the ever-popular pattern showed up on fur messenger bags.

"We chose Japan because it's undergoing a renaissance in terms of creativity, inventiveness, sophistication and high style. I think this country is a laboratory for what awaits us around the world," Carcelle said.

The French luxury house is hoping to expand its operations in Japan, both in terms of the number of stores and the variety of products on offer, according to the new head of Louis Vuitton Japan, Kiyotaka Fujii.

Vuitton, keenly aware that Japan's population is quickly ageing, is planning to complement its more trendy lines with classic, high-end clothing and accessories that are more suitable for its older clientele.

Louis Vuitton Japan refuses to give specific figures for its expansion plans, but LVMH announced that sales in Japan increased by nine percent in the first quarter of 2006.

AFP