The Medusa is back
In 2009, Italian fashion house Versace closed its four Japan stores and left the Japanese market, citing a need for the luxury brand to reinvent its image and restrategize its business operations. Now, its famous Medusa logo is making an official comeback. It appears prominently on T-shirts embroidered and embellished in jet-black beads, as well as on a selection of other Versace items that went on sale Feb. 1 at the Isetan Shinjuku department store.
Versace's exit from Japan highlighted a tension in the fashion industry, as many questioned the endurance of high-end brands in light of the nation's ailing economy. Last year, however, the fashion house announced that it was ready to try again — this time with a completely new strategy and a new team of employees.