This year will see the arrival of a formidable new force in the Japanese fashion market. Perhaps best known for being a go-to for Hollywood stars, Fred Segal is a trend-setting California clothing and lifestyle goods retailer, which in its 50-year history had never planned to expand beyond Los Angeles. That is until it was acquired by the New York-based Sandow brand-building group in January 2012.

Sandow has now partnered with the Japan-based fashion retailer Mark Styler to bring Fred Segal to Japan, with the first flagship set to open in September and other stores and e-commerce channels to follow.

Though little detail about the stores has been released, the first Japanese outlets will follow the U.S. lead in uniting shopping, salons and spas under the Fred Segal name within single locations. The retailer also plans to expand with a number of smaller boutiques housed inside luxury department stores — a first for the brand.