Fashion on pause
In April and May this column was purposefully put on pause, since the general consensus, mine included, was that there were more time-sensitive articles meriting newspaper space. Now that the state of emergency has given way to a state of unease as we navigate our way back to normality, this column — and fashion at large — is tentatively back in business.
That said, odds are you haven’t made any significant fashion purchases in the past several months, and you’re not alone. Department store sales figures for May are truly sobering. Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings is looking at a drop of 78.1 percent compared to the same period last year; Daimaru Matsuzakaya is down 72.7 percent; and Takashimaya is somewhat better at a 62.9 percent drop. But keep in mind those are national figures, which include stores in regions of Japan where the state of emergency was not so long-lasting, or so stringent. If you look at Tokyo alone, the situation is even more dire: The Matsuya Ginza flagship, for instance, has to find a way to cope with a 91.9 percent drop in sales.