A Fish Named Fred on a Mission in Japan: The Tokyo Tour

Will "A Fish Named Fred" conquer the Japanese fashion arena? Founder Rob Schalker, steering the prominent Dutch lifestyle brand, is on the ground with his team during the Fashion World Tokyo 2023 Autumn Show. On this blog page, Rob will publish an article daily until October 14th.

The Fashion World Tokyo 2023 Autumn Show, spanning three days, is an event not to be missed. Boasting an impressive 1,100 exhibitors and a visitor count reaching 30,000, the event establishes itself as a crucial meeting place in the fashion world. Five Dutch brands, including A Fish Named Fred, have the opportunity to present their collections, enabled by contributions from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) and the EU Trade Program.

The presence of A Fish Named Fred highlights the ambition to effectively map the brand in Japan. Therefore, the coming days are exciting for Schalker and his team: how will the brand be received on the trade show floor? Is identifying the optimal retailer achievable and, crucially, will this culminate in a successful launch in the Japanese retail market? Follow the strategic journey through upcoming blogs and photo reports directly from the Japanese trade show floor.

Day 1, Tokyo Trip: "Brands of The Netherlands"

Follow the daily adventures of "A Fish Named Fred" as they embark on their market entry into the Japanese market here:

Within 15 minutes, the first interested retailers were at the stand. The exhibition stand, designed by renowned Japanese designer Yusuke Kobayashi, combines originality and creativity with clean lines, blending the purely Dutch slant of the Delft Blue print from "A Fish Named Fred's" collection.

The cluster of five brands—Sinner, Tresanti, Secrid, Xpooos, and A Fish Named Fred—taking the plunge into Japan, with support from the European Union, has spent the past five months preparing to find the right partners. This involves retailers, distributors, and trading houses, and today marks the first day to introduce the concept to a host of fashion industry professionals.

Day 2, Tokyo Trip: A Fruitful Second Day at Tokyo's Fashion World Show

The second exhibition day at the Fashion World Show in Tokyo commenced favorably. A delegation from the Dutch embassy, comprising Theo Peters and Pieter Terpstra (the ambassador and head of the economic department, respectively), visited to observe us represent the Netherlands with our five Dutch brands. Carolien van Tilburg, tasked with overseeing the creative industry at the embassy, was also present. Her proficiency in the Japanese language and unparalleled knowledge of the Japanese market and its traditions proved immensely helpful.

Today's conversations demonstrated a higher level of quality compared to yesterday. We engaged in notably constructive conversations with trading houses and anticipate a challenging task in selecting the right partner tomorrow afternoon, upon the fair's conclusion. The people we talk to here exhibit a reserved demeanor, preferring to meticulously ponder every aspect eight times over before deciding. While we Dutch may instinctively think, "Grab it, lest someone else will," such a mindset does not prevail here. Naturally, our aim is to identify the most suitable partner. It remains a question whether the rapid decision-making for which we, at A fish named Fred, are known, is the ideal approach to prosper in Japan.

Day 3, Tokyo Trip: Lost in translation!

'Lost in translation!'... Misunderstandings can easily happen when starting business in Japan. We Dutch like to get a decison before leaving the negotiation table. We like to have a clear YES or NO or at least understand the reason behind it and we definitely like to know the next steps. That is different when doing business in Japan. Negotiations in Japan are an artform in itself and it is necessary to re-confirm by asking 'Do I understand correctly that you are offering x or y?? So double checking what people exactly mean is paramount. Nevertheless, it is very pleasant to talk with Japanese people. They want to know so much more details and background than an average European retailer would want to know, and this leads the conversation sometimes to unexpected inspiring directions.

By the way, our Sander was briefly heading into town to spot some potential retailers and just got a fine... for smoking a cigarette... on the street... Welcome to Tokyo! It's great here, believe me!! This is another planet and you don't have to wait for Elon Musk's rocket! So if you get the chance, go!!!

Speaking of Elon Musk.. On Saturday we went to the newly opened Team Lab exhibition just opened by the man himself. An immersive experience with projections, water slides, mirrors, optical illusions and what more.

Day 4, Shopping Tour to Kyoto

Today we went on a shopping tour to Kyoto. Are now on the Bullet Train which cuts through the countryside like a knife through Japanese butter in just over two hours.

First we sniffed up some culture at the Kyumizudera temple where you can rent a kimono for a few thousand yen before entering the sacred grounds and then to the bamboo forest where we met Bruce... and not just any Bruce but Bruce Lee who makes very cool detailed pencil cases in the shape of a Japanese man with a zip on his back. We agreed to exchange some prints of his hand and those of A fish named Fred.

Kyoto is a large provincial city with some village touches at times. It is quieter than massive Tokyo and the population seems a little less hurried. There are guys running around with rickshaws and pretty shopping streets with fantastically decorated concept stores and unique vintage shops where you will be surprised by everyday objects executed in all kinds of original variations in fabric, texture, colour, shape or prints.

All in all, another wonderfully inspiring day with lots of new ideas and enough energy for the days to come.

Stay tuned for more, folks!!!

Conclusion Tokyo Trip

The disciplined nature of the Japanese remains striking. It is so neat everywhere while there are no dustbins anywhere. This, of course, has to do with preventing terrorist attacks. The Japanese like things neat. For instance, we did not see a dirty car anywhere. They are all extremely careful with their belongings and will never leave anything lying around on the street. There is also no graffiti anywhere in the entire city. Everything looks like it has been cleaned with a toothbrush.

As mentioned, smoking on the street is not allowed. There is even a fine on it. Otherwise, all life here revolves around smoking. Funnily enough, in cafes and restaurants you are allowed to puff vigorously without anyone taking offence. It remains quite extraordinary.

A colleague had left her phone on a table at Starbucks in the morning, searched all day long only to find it was still there at the end of the day. In the Netherlands it would probably have disappeared within a minute but here in Tokyo hardly anything gets stolen.

The outcome of the fair.

That, of course, was what we were going for. We were warned beforehand that we would not be returning home with a pile of orders and that was true. We spoke to some retailers who were keen to buy but with the condition that we first have a Japanese distributor. We went to see these shops and they would definitely suit us considering the brand package and the look and feel of their concept.

We have also had some responses by e-mail from the major trading companies and from this it appears that they find A fish named Fred very interesting and that they are going to discuss internally which buyer would be most suitable. We have also received a message from a trading company that says it finds the brand appropriate but does not dare to take it on board under the current economic conditions in Japan.

All in all, we are going to look at a follow-up and how to approach it. We have good contact with RVO, the governtment trade office and the embassy which has been extremely helpful. This trip is one of the most special of my fashion career and I am convinced that, one way or the other, we can build something beautiful in the land of the rising sun.

Tokyo Trip: Looking back

Meanwhile, we've been back from the land of the rising sun for a few weeks, and even though it's pouring rain there right now, we're on a mission to discover the ultimate reason to go back real quick.

During this time, we've been using our trusty translator to connect with the right distribution and licensing partners, all of whom we met at the Fashion World fair in Tokyo.

As I mentioned in a previous episode, it's not a given that our conversation partners are English language experts, leading to some hilarious situations. If you try using Google Translate or another translation program yourself, it can sometimes go hilariously wrong.

We've got three solid leads on a distribution partner, and I had a chat with one of them yesterday... in English, no less. It was the owner's son, Shunsuku, a cool open minded dude. He even installed WhatsApp just for me. In some ways, they're still a bit "old school" in Japan. Everyone there has a fax number on their business cards. But despite it all, having an app on your phone to send instant videos, PDFs, and photo sequences, not to mention free calls and video chats, comes in pretty handy. After a bit of WhatsApp ping-pong, we decided to have a proper chat. The conversation revolved around trade fairs, their way of doing things, their customer base, their sales seasons, and of course, what we expect from each other.

Our brand, A Fish Named Fred, is quite diverse, but it seems Shunsuku is particularly interested in hoodies, winter coats, blazers, and sweaters. Naturally, we'll focus on those, along with other product categories important to us. We want to present our whole package and not just offer random items to Japanese retailers.