Topshop stays on top
When Topshop, the London-based clothing chain, first landed on Japan's shores, its affordable and trendy range of clothing was a massive boon for Tokyo's young and hip. Fast-forward four years, and though the Harajuku store still draws its fans, the competition in chain-store clothing has become fierce. So it comes as no surprise that Topshop (along with the menswear version, Topman) will be opening new outlets; starting in March there will be a store in Minato-Mirai, Yokohama, then Sapporo in April, and finally a giant flagship store in Shinjuku later this year.
That in itself is great news, but it's the innovative clothing that really gets shoppers in a tizzy, and this spring's collection is no exception. Topshop's highly acclaimed collaboration with six new-generation designers from London Fashion Week includes capsule collections with feminine tendencies from Jonathon Saunders and Richard Nicoll, rock and rebellion from Ashish and Ann-Sofie Back, trompe l'oeil necklace prints from new Central St. Martins graduate Mary Katrantzou and punkish glam shoes from Louise Goldin.