Japanese materials that bolster the popularity of American casual - Steven Alan

Steven Alan is based in New York and operates in the three forms of select shops, showrooms, and original collections. Due to the good taste of the products, they boast a charismatic popularity among fashion-sensitive young people who live downtown. Steven Alan, who established his own brand and is one of the people employed by the company, admires Japanese fabrics.

Alan, who felt that there were no clothes that he would like to wear himself, started his original collection, 'Steven Alan Collection' by creating the 'perfect shirt' that he would like to wear in 1999. Alan describes his own collection as 'Cool American casual with a sense of New York' and it is a collection of menswear and womenswear that utilize his designs that make innovations on the American classic. Starting with the signature item 'reverse seam shirt' that has reverse seams and pockets, the face of the brand is the abundant variety of cotton shirts with minute details and twists. In the men's line, the casual yet simple-looking jackets and knits are quite popular and in the women's line, there are many fans of the skirts with classic silhouettes, the nostalgic dresses, and the retro flower prints. Additionally, small items such as bags, watches, hats, and scarves are plentiful and currently the adult casual products that can be coordinated are stocked at more than 300 stores throughout the world and receive strong support from men and women between the ages of 25 and 35 who demand good quality and design rather than being taken in by fashion crazes.

Steven Alan works not only on his original collection, but also on the select shops and showrooms. There are currently six shops in New York and four shops in California. At the Steven Alan Showroom, where young, talented designers are uncovered and nurtured, 22 brands, including clothes, shoes, and handbags in addition to womenswear and menswear, are handled. Alan says, "The standards for selection are brands that I would like to have in my own store. But it is important that it must be a brand that has a vision and in which the designer's voice can be heard, rather than simply something that will sell." The company's customers include select shops such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Barney's, as well as e-commerce sites such as NET-A-PORTER and shopbop.

According to Alan, the majority of the collection uses Japanese materials. "I purchase many varieties, such as cotton, wool, shirting, denim, and yarn mainly through companies that have offices in New York (i. e. Marubeni, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, and Yagi Tsusho). The opportunity for me to start using Japanese fabric was that I arrived at Japanese fabric by starting with the highest quality when focusing on shirt design and texture. Another reason is that, because I cannot make a large volume of shirts with the same design all at once, I am producing shirts with different types of fabrics and designs in small numbers, so it is easy to purchase Japanese fabric in small lots." Alan says firmly that he would like to use more Japanese fabrics in the future.

He says, "The concept of 'Made in Japan' has a lot of value. In addition to the fabrics, the sewing techniques are excellent, so the factories must work together with overseas designers. There is likely to be a large demand from overseas designers."

Alan has had wonderful successes one after the other in the fashion world with his shop, showroom, and collection. However, looking back on the 18 years of Steven Alan, he says the following. "Everything up to this point was a learning process. Anything that I wanted to do, I learned about at the time and gradually acquired the skill. I still feel like I am studying." In terms of next steps, he is thinking of taking on kids products in his U.S. shops and also developing a shop in Japan. He says, "I would like to find a partner in Japan and open a shop. I think I would like to start internet sales geared toward Japan. In anticipation of that, I would like to incorporate many rare Japanese textiles."

It is easy to envision American casual brands and Japanese fabrics walking hand-in-hand through the fashion business world.