Kazumasa Terada
39, President, Samantha Thavasa
By Michiko Toyama
Fall 2005 Style & Design
Coach is not the only brand creeping into Louis Vuitton's territory in
Japan. Entrepreneur Kazumasa Terada started the handbag label Samantha
Thavasa there a little over a decade ago, and its business has
multiplied fivefold in the past five years, reaching sales of $100
million in 2004.
Fans of the company's bags and accessories are not limited to Japan.
Best sellers like the Star bag have been spotted on Lindsay Lohan, among
other young celebrities. And since 2002, the company has hired the
Hilton sisters, Victoria (Posh Spice) Beckham and Beyoncé to represent
the brand. Nicky Hilton and Beckham are now each designing a line of
bags for the label.
Terada's inspiration for starting the company was the memory of his
mother's elation when he gave her a Chanel bag. "I realized that a
beautiful brand bag has so much power to make a woman happy," he says.
At the time, "the emphasis on Japanese bags was practicality, and white
bags, which stain easily, were not at all popular." Instead, Terada
created bags in a range of vibrant colors. But the company's first hit
was the 1998 Orlare, which came in white and had bamboo handles. Last
year the company released 600 designs.
Japan now has 94 Samantha Thavasa stores, and more are on the way. The
first U.S. outpost, in New York City, is expected to open later this
year.
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