|
|
O.Z.O.C., one of the hottest Japanese clothing stores in Asia, is redefining trendiness. The label, the junior line of avant-garde Japanese designer Atsuro Tayama, targets customers ages 15 to 30. O.Z.O.C. has 50 outlets in South Korea, eight in Taiwan, three in Hong Kong and one in Singapore--in addition to more than 100 stores in Japan. The first Hong Kong shop, which opened last year, provides patrons with just-in-time fashion, Japanese-style: new stock is introduced two times a week. "Every time a person comes in, there are new outfits to try," says O.Z.O.C's Hong Kong spokesperson Margaret Yee. The effort to keep right on fashion's cutting edge is a large part of the appeal. "European designs tend to be more classic and appeal to older people," says Yee. "But Japanese designers are very concerned with the trendiest clothing, so teenagers really like what they offer."
Japan also scores with its attention to detail. "The quality of Japanese clothing is much, much higher" than locally made garments, says Ken Lee, who owns Duo Boutique in Hong Kong's Wanchai district. Lee sells lesser-known Japanese labels and relies on the Japanese fashion magazine Non-no to keep in touch with what's hip in Tokyo. He says the time lag between fashion trends in Japan and those in Hong Kong has shortened radically from about a year to two or three months. Next up? Drawstring pants in shades of khaki and sleeveless anoraks, says Lee.
As with fashion, Japanese TV programs increasingly are viewed around Asia as superior to anything local. "In Hong Kong shows, all the characters are always professionals and have lots of money--who can relate to that?" says Amelia Leung, a 24-year-old software consultant. "But in the Japanese shows, they're usually ordinary people and seem more realistic." Felix To, program controller at Hong Kong's ATV channel, agrees. "Japanese dramas all very well-produced, and have much bigger budgets than Hong Kong shows," he says. "The competition between the five Tokyo-area television stations is incredibly fierce, so to succeed a show has to be really very good."
The obsession with Japanese products is also fueling the boom in pirated entertainment. Many consumers simply won't wait for legal imports. All across Hong Kong, from stalls in Mongkok to corner shops in Causeway Bay--vendors hawk bootleg VCDs of Japanese TV shows like Long Vacation, Tokyo Love Story and The Milky Way. "Hong Kong people just love these," marvels a hawker in a Mongkok alley. "Some people come back every week to see what new VCDs are here." The piracy problem, says ATV's To, arises partly because it's difficult for local companies to buy the rights to Japanese shows, especially the dramas. "A very popular show may air in Japan and not be shown in Hong Kong for three years, or even longer," he says.
Japan is becoming a fast-breeder of youth culture, with its population of discriminating and relatively wealthy youngsters who have short attention spans and a mania for new fads. Throw in the widespread Asian preference for group activities and the Japanese template becomes an attractive model. Just ask Linda Sow, 16, a Hong Kong schoolgirl lining up outside a photo-sticker machine, one of the newest Japanese fads to sweep Asia. With photo background choices ranging from marching penguins to Leonardo DiCaprio, she loves the experience so much she makes at least one new set of stickers every week. "When you go out with friends, it's a way to remember a special occasion," she says. But most important of all for this budding young consumer: "It's a lot of fun."
Reported by Hannah Beech and Maria Cheng/Hong Kong, Cybil Chou and Don Shapiro/Taipei and Stella Kim/Seoul
PAGE 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
THIS WEEK'S TABLE OF CONTENTS
|
|
Young Japan Home
The Me Generation:
The country's privileged youth are struggling to define what they want. Their efforts--both frivolous and fundamental--are already beginning to transform the culture
Day in the Life:
What a 17-year-old girl does--and buys
Culture Club:
Tokyo has taken over as the source of what's hip and happening for the rest of East Asia
Sound Factory:
An Okinawa school turns out stars
Talk Talk:
What teens are chatting about online
Not Playing Ball:
A fresh generation is starting to shake up the hidebound world of Japanese baseball
Outside the Box:
Breaking the education straitjacket
Viewpoint:
Actress Youki Kudoh says respect the old ways
Viewpoint:
Parents should examine their own ethics
|
|
|
