author

 
Menu
Search
 
April 29, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
Samuel Thomas

Meta

Samuel Thomas
Samuel Thomas is a fashion writer and lecturer in fashion media at Bunka Gakuen University. He regularly contributes to The Japan Times, among other publications, and provides consultancy services to industry clients.
For Samuel Thomas's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Sep 12, 2021
What makes virtual fashion shows work? Clever videos certainly help
With even big-name houses struggling for views, brands that abandoned the typical film format found the most success.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Aug 15, 2021
Tokyo fashion week shifts its schedule, signaling Japan-focused approach
Rakuten seizes the opportunity to better appeal to a local clientele, while skateboarding style tops the Olympic podium.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Jul 11, 2021
Tokyo 2020’s Olympic uniforms are here to make a statement
Athletes' uniforms illustrate the values each country wishes to embody. So think of the Olympics opening ceremony as one of the largest runway shows the world has to offer.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Jun 13, 2021
For new fashion events and collections, it’s all about the timing
Japan's latest styles celebrate Pride Month (sort of), take fashion week to print and collaborate with vintage video games.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
May 16, 2021
Kawaii, but make it subversive: Japan’s latest fashion is more than its frills
The country's over-20s are embracing cute clothing in a subversive push against adulthood.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Apr 11, 2021
Pop culture paraphernalia is where fashion is at — if you can afford it
After many stores shut their doors last month, there's now a pop culture-tinged positivity imbuing Japan's fashion scene.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Mar 13, 2021
Practical workwear bucks the trends and brands turn to digital talent
Utility wear brand Workman is enjoys rise in sales despite a downturn in the fashion industry. Meanwhile, Valentino and Wego sign on virtual celebrities to appeal to specific demographics.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Feb 13, 2021
Japan’s fashion scene gets smaller in more ways than one
Boutique shops and small brands face closure, while beauty influencer Akiico steps up to promote petite sizes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Jan 9, 2021
Flashbacks and fantasy kick off Japan’s 2021 fashion scene
As department stores try to make up for a dismal 2020, recently released capsule collections turn to feel-good, nostalgic escapism.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Dec 13, 2020
Made-to-order luxury for the 2020 holiday season
This season's shopping trends? Artisanal gift wrapping and glamorous jewelry for you and your mask.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Nov 15, 2020
Japanese fashion tackles the issues of the moment
From practical masks and saving sento culture to provocative commentary on gender, brands and designers find their moment.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Oct 11, 2020
Tokyo’s fashion weeks kick off live (and with precautions)
It's business as usual, save for sparse seating and masks. But the streaming options mean this is the most accessible these events have ever been.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Sep 13, 2020
As the industry goes online, fashion trends go retro
Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo is still on schedule; Animal Crossing is haute couture; and Wacko Maria celebrates 15 years.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Aug 9, 2020
The limitless energy of Japanese fashion
Legendary designer Kansai Yamamoto's legacy lives on, and the fashion world starts to adapt to consumer needs in Japan's new normal.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Jul 12, 2020
The everyday mask gets more designer upgrades
Japan's department stores see a surprising sales recovery in June and masks continue to move high-end.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Jun 14, 2020
Fashion on pause looks for a path forward
Fashion in Japan is tentatively back in business. What to expect? Socially distanced shopping and stylish mask-wearing.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Mar 30, 2020
Fashion week is compelled to go online
Japan's fashion industry was hit hard by the March cancellation of Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo, saved only by livestreaming and online content as a way to keep fans informed.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Feb 24, 2020
Behind the mask: The show must go on
As the impact of COVID-19 leads to the postponement or cancelation of various fashion events, the industry faces a quandary — it is unseemly to focus on the relatively trivial business of style at a time of great concern?
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Dec 23, 2019
Japan's fashion brands look to meet new consumer standards
As the festive season encourages consumers to splash out and treat themselves, there's both good and bad news in the fashion industry.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Dec 2, 2019
Japan's end-of-year fashion ups and downs
As the year ends, Japan's fashion landscape finds itself facing big changes in street brands, department stores and sales tactics.
Number of homeless in Japan hits record low
Homeless people sleep on the street in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in August 2021.
Raising kids in Japan as a single parent? It takes a village.
Making things work as a foreign, single mother in Japan isn't easy, but these tips and tricks can help you through the hardest parts.
JAL cancels international flight after captain gets drunk at Dallas hotel
A Japan Airlines' flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled last week after its captain got drunk at a local hotel.
In Japan, regional revitalization fails to halt population decline
Sakiyama elementary school in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, in March .Over the past decade, the government has directed efforts toward policies designed to give young people incentives to base themselves in rural areas.
Putin’s war will soon reach Russians’ tax bills
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting in St. Petersburg on Friday.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.
Kyotographie's strong 12th edition shines light into the margins
Yassine Alaoui Ismaili, who goes by Yoriyas, turned to photography, shooting motion while in motion himself, after an injury forced him to give up his career as a professional breakdancer.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

A young restaurant leads the way in Karuizawa
A young restaurant leads the way in Karuizawa

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER