'American heritage as seen from Japan' Japanese fashion collection in Las Vegas - 'Project'

The world's largest fashion trade show, MAGIC, was held in Las Vegas from February 13 through 15. At this trade show, which is held every February and August, all genres of apparel and accessories are exhibited, including designer, contemporary, casual, young kids, street, and sports/outdoor. Because of the scale of the MAGIC trade show, it is sectioned into many independent exhibits by genre, including menswear and womenswear.

What particularly garnered the attention of the press this time was a special booth called 'Project Wooster' in the Project exhibit, which gathers 750 premium denim and contemporary fashion brands. This booth was produced by the Project team, who puts together the entire MAGIC trade show, and Nick (Nickelson) Wooster, who is a charismatic leader in the men's fashion world.

Wooster, who worked as the director of Men's Fashion at the upscale department store chain, Neiman Marcus/Bergdorf Goodman, is a famous buyer who has led the domestic industry as a trendsetter. In this Project Wooster, which is the second such project, the concept was 'American Heritage as seen from Japan' and it gathered 13 Japanese brands focused on craftsmanship based on the common concept of 'handmade' for the Project exhibit.

The main characteristics of the current heritage fashion are the materials and styles with attention to detail that were inspired by the work clothes of the American pioneer days, the Native Americans, gentlemen's clothes of the 1920s and 30s, and the vintage look. The Japanese brands exhibited in Project Wooster, namely nepenthes, Post Overalls, visvim, and Kapital, are defined as brands of this genre by their high quality.

Wooster, who carefully selected the Japanese brands for this project himself, said that his reason for focusing on Japan was because 'Japanese people have a special ability to research some aspect of a foreign culture, interpret it, create something greater than the original, and shape it into something modern. Currently, in Japan, there are many brands that create something new from distinctly American fashions, but unfortunately, the majority of American buyers do not wander as far as Japan. I would like to exhibit these brands at MAGIC and introduce them to more people."

Explaining his reasons from a marketing strategy perspective as the trade show host, Project president Andrew Pollard said, "There is something that stimulates peoples' consumer interest in the streets of Japan. That is because there is an environment in which even something that has an individualistic and experimental style will be accepted as normal and the retail stores handle new and interesting products in response to that sense. We wanted to bring home the creative and experimental atmosphere of the Japanese streets in the Project and enliven the young American creator market." From the video 'PROJECT Wooster project Preview 2.'

Project Wooster takes on the task of showcasing creative brands that will lead the industry in the future, rather than actively selling products. There is no exhibit fee for the brands participating in this booth. In exchange for covering these expenses, the organizer markets the Project as a cutting-edge exhibit of industry trends and aims to incorporate the presentation of other hopeful brands for the future.

Wooster said, "At American retail stores, products that can sell are put at the front of the store, but all of the products in the stores in Japan had been carefully selected based on design and quality. The fact that everything from the brand concept to the store design and illumination to the staff attitude and the customer style was all consistent was a factor in stimulating customer interest." Through Project Wooster, Japanese-style brand management was presented to the young creators who were exhibiting their brands and we glimpsed the enthusiasm to grow these brands that will assume the vitalization of the future industry. The Project is no longer a place for revolving trends, but has grown to be a place where the concepts and values of a creator's own brand can meet customers who share those values.