TOKYO, November 29, 2013 - Rakuten, Inc. and Stylife Corporation, a group company of Rakuten, today announced the grand opening of Vault, the new style e-commerce platform that uses video.
This service is the Japanese edition of the US video commerce website Vault that debuted in 2012. The concept is to stimulate customer’s emotions by sharing the worldview and backstory of products, as well as expressing their quality, through video.
Thirty brands are on display for the debut, including 21 brands rigorously selected from Vault US, and nine brands added for the Japan opening. Attracting the most attention will be the Yohji Yamamoto collection, which has been brought in especially to celebrate the Vault grand opening, and is the first time the line has been offered in online retail anywhere in the world.
In collaboration with Viva Japan Inc., the company behind the Viva Japan e-commerce site which promotes quality products worldwide from the Asian region, our aim is to discover little-known brands from Japan and around Asia, as well as develop original products with a high degree of sensitivity as new brands for the Japanese website.
E-commerce sites using video have been attracting attention in recent times, particularly in the fashion and assorted lifestyle goods sectors. Utilizing acquired know-how in US, Vault offers a new shopping experience to customers as a pioneering video commerce site in Japan.
■ List of brands offered on Vault Japan (as of Nov. 29)
＜Brands selected from Vault USA(21)＞
MY OTHER BAG ( http://www.myotherbag.com/ )
PEASANTS & TRAVELERS ( http://www.peasantsandtravelers.com/ )
SKYWATCH ( http://www.skywatchsite.com/ )
STUDIO DKS ( http://www.studiodks.com/ )
WE ARE ALL SMITH ( http://www.weareallsmith.com/collections/smith )
URBANBOULDER ( http://www.urbanboulder.com/ )
JOSH HARKER ( http://www.joshharker.com/ )
FLOW CHARGE ( http://theflowcharge.com/ )
KINETIX
REASON CLOTHING ( http://www.reasonclothing.com/ )
WILLIAMSBURG GARMENT CO ( http://williamsburggarment.com/ )
GOODHYOUMAN ( http://goodhyouman.com/home.html )
WRECORDSBYMONKEY ( http://www.wrecordsbymonkey.com/ )
LAZERWOOD ( http://www.lazerwood.com/ )
EARNEST SEWN ( http://www.earnestsewn.com/ )
WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND ( http://www.whatgoesaroundnyc.com/ )
HUDSON SUTLER ( http://www.hudsonsutler.com/ )
WESTWARD LEANING ( http://westwardleaning.com/ )
GREENWICH VINTAGE ( http://greenwichvintage.us/shop/ )
GENERAL KNOT & CO ( http://www.generalknot.com/ )
WAKAMI ( http://wakami.jp/index.html )
＜Brands selected for Vault Japan(9)＞
YOHJI YAMAMOTO ( http://www.yohjiyamamoto.co.jp/ )
BRIEFING (http://www.briefing-usa.com/ )
WTW ( http://wtwstyle.com/ )
ROBERU (http://roberu.com/ )
FUJITAKA (http://fujitaka-japan.com/ )
VIVA JAPAN ( http://www.viva-jp.com/ )
CONRAD LEACH (http://conradleach.com/ )
ISAMU KATAYAMA BACKLASH ( http://anonymousbacklash.com/ )
junhashimoto ( http://junhashimoto.jp/ )
■ (Yohji Yamamoto)
Yohji Yamamoto was born in Tokyo in 1943. A graduate of the Keio University Faculty of Law and Bunka Fashion College, he received the Soen Award and the Endo Award in 1969. He founded his company, Y’s, in 1972. He announced a collection at the 1981 Paris Fashion Week that made “black” the centerpiece, breaking a major fashion taboo. The “black shock,” as it was known, caused a sensation. Although the collection divided opinion, its spirit of rebellion revolutionized high fashion. In 2002, he was appointed Creative Director of the Y-3 brand, in collaboration with Adidas, bringing together the worlds of fashion and sport. (http://www.yohjiyamamoto.co.jp/ )
■Viva Japan Inc.
Viva Japan Inc. supports Japanese makers as a pioneer of selective commerce in Japan, which delivers not only products but the stories of who made them and their experiences. Viva Japan is aiming to be a global maker of quality products created from a basis of Japanese culture and sensibility. (http://www.vivajapan.co.jp )