Feature

Interview with Mr. Nakazato

Chief Editor of MilK Japon

A kid's fashion magazine MilK was published in France in 2003. In 2006 MilK Japan was published. The magazine's very stylish and high quality visual creation has been favored by many parents in Japan whom are very fashionable just like an other MilK readers of the France.

On this issue that roomservice is giving a focus to Japan's kid's fashion and industry for the first time. We will feature a first time interview with the chief editor of the MilK Japan and introduce the best and first lined kid's brands.

What do you think about the trends and characteristics of Japan's children's fashion in comparison with those of the west?

While in foreign countries you get the impression that the so-called children's fashion magazines genre, which includes VOGUE bambini, Kid's Wear and MilK, has to a certain degree acquired general acceptance, in Japan there is still a lack of readership and clientele, as well as insufficient scale of budgets for advertising; the market has only begun. However, compared with the past, there is definitely an increase in the number of businesses and individuals that are attempting to create children's wear with a mature touch. The women (or men) now becoming parents were once people who had owned a relative amount of fashion magazines (or information and products), so they naturally have acquired a keen eye when choosing particular clothing for their children. I think there will be a sharp divide between brands that will succeed and those that will suffer in the near future to come.

Currently, there are great many highly fashionable domestic children's wear brands making their debut in Japan. What kind of effects do you think this will have on domestic, and more, on foreign children's fashion markets?

If you consider the fact that the quality sought by users has become extremely high, then you can expect a clearer competition between domestic businesses and brands. Since unlike adult fashion, where common styles widely incorporating great trends are established, I think only brands that have personality and clear direction will gain a foothold in the market. As for overseas, we can anticipate a gradual increase of brands that will go after foreign markets to follw successful brands like muchacha and HAKKA KIDS. With Japan being a country where people are sensitive to things that are cute or pretty, I believe we will continue to see further attention from overseas on Japanese brands.