Rakuten Brand Avenue Selected as the First Official E-Commerce Partner for Girls Award, Japan’s Largest Fashion and Music Event

TOKYO, August 23, 2013 – Rakuten, Inc. (below “Rakuten”) announced today that it will serve as a sponsor for Girls Award 2013 Autumn/Winter (below “Girls Award”) organized by the Girls Award Executive Committee on Saturday, September 28, 2013. As part of this commitment, Rakuten will also hold special campaigns and events linked to the awards within the many services it offers.    

Japan’s largest collaborative fashion and music event, Girls Award has been held twice annually at the Yoyogi National Stadium First Gymnasium since May 2010 under the slogan, “From Shibuya to Asia and the World Beyond.”  

Rakuten Brand Avenue, a specialty site on Internet shopping mall Rakuten Ichiba that carries famous brand apparel items, was selected to be the first-ever official e-commerce partner of Girls Award. In conjunction with this, Rakuten Brand Avenue will begin carrying prominent fashion brands (five brands including MURUA and WEGO) that appear at Girls Award. Rakuten Brand Avenue will also sell a limited number of apparel items worn by actual Girls Award models on a special site set up beginning on the day of the event, and offer a double-the-points campaign among other promotional activities, in order to increase sales to Girls Award event goers and existing Rakuten members.

Girls Award is a popular event among consumers in their 20s, attracting some 30,000 people the previous time it was held. This matches up well with the Rakuten Group’s efforts to strengthen its appeal among younger consumers. As a result, in addition to collaboration involving Rakuten Brand Avenue, Rakuten will also hold a number of special campaigns and events tying Girls Award to Rakuten Group services. This will include a promotional campaign where some 3,000 Rakuten Card members will be selected for a free admission ticket to Girls Award, and another campaign where eReader Kobo Glo will be sold packaged together with admission tickets.    

Rakuten will strive to create fans of the Rakuten Group by continuing to partner with Girls Award going forward, expanding the number of fashion brands carried through Rakuten Brand Avenue, and strengthening direct communication with consumers at the event.

■　　Rakuten Card
・Free admission tickets will be given out to some 3,000 Rakuten Card members 
Register to win at: http://r10.to/hGY0jb
・A special entrance lane for Rakuten Card members will be set up at the event venue
(Rakuten Card members will be allowed advanced entrance before the doors open)
・VIP lounge for Rakuten Card members
(A talk show involving popular models and massage services will be offered in a space reserved for specially invited Rakuten Card members, that will also offer snacks and light refreshments)

■　　Rakuten Brand Avenue
・Rakuten Brand Avenue will begin carrying famous fashion brand apparel items
[List of new brands offered (planned)]
     MURUA, RESEXXY, GYDA, EMODA (MARK STYLER Co., Ltd.), and WEGO (WEGO Co., Ltd.) *Plans call for more brands to be added at a later date
・A special webpage will be set up
URL: http://event.rakuten.co.jp/fashion/rba/girlsaward/
Online from: September 28, 2013 to October 31, 2013
・ A Rakuten Super Point campaign will be held for apparel items worn on the runway
Rakuten members purchasing an apparel item worn by an actual model during Girls Award sold on the special webpage above will receive five times the Rakuten Super Points.

■　　Rakuten Kobo
・The Kobo Glo will be packaged together with Girls Award admission tickets
(1)    Kobo Glo Pink Sunset + Kobo cover case with Swarovski element piece + Zipper case (red) + Two admission tickets (200 sets will be made available)
(Price: 10,000 yen)
(2)    Kobo Glo Pink Sunset + Kobo cover case with Hello Kitty (face) + Zipper case (red) + Two admission tickets (300 sets will be made available)
(Price: 10,000 yen)
(3)    Kobo Glo Pink Sunset + Kobo Glo Silver Star + Two admission tickets (100 sets will be made available)
(Price: 15,000 yen)

Date & Time: Saturday, September 28, 2013 / Doors open at 1:00pm / Event starts at 3:00pm / Event ends at 8:30pm (scheduled)
Venue: National Yoyogi Stadium First Gymnasium
Expected attendance: 30,000 (total number of people)
Events: Fashion Show / Artist Stage / Sponsors Booth
Advanced tickets: General admission 5,500 yen / Reserved seating 7,500 yen (available at various ticket outlets)
《Artists making an appearance》Leo Ieiri, May J., 9nine, and VERBAL (in alphabetical order)
《Models making an appearance》Yukina Kinoshita, Angelica Michibata, Serina, Yu Yamada and Misako Yasuda(in alphabetical order)
《Brands》 Avan Lily / Bershka / EMODA / GUILD PRIME / GYDA / Heather / JEANASiS / JEWELIUM / KIMONO PRINCES / LOWRYS FARM / LOVELESS / LUMINE EST / Million Carats / MURUA / NYLON JAPAN × MONKI / RESEXXY / Stradivarius / TITICACA / WEGO, among others