VF Corporation has launched a new design joint in Tokyo

The office will be the new home of Japan’s VF’s Dickies, Timberland and Vans brands, as well as the newly formed TDC team. TDC aims to reinforce VF’s commitment to incorporating aspirational Japanese product design and craftsmanship into its global brands, a press release said.

“Our TDC and brand teams in Japan are incredibly excited about our new home in the heart of Harajuku and the role it will play in driving a global brand halo through what we call our ‘Japan for the rest of the world’ strategy,” said Mitch Whittaker, President of North Asia and Tokyo Design Collective. “We will use this new center to inspire new design ideas that will not only connect with Japanese consumers but also translate and gain traction in other global markets.”

VF Corporation, a global leader in branded lifestyle apparel, footwear and accessories, has opened the Tokyo Design Collective (TDC) and new regional office in Tokyo’s Harajuku district, internationally recognized as a center for Japanese youth culture and fashion. The office will be the new home of VF’s Dickies, Timberland and Vans brands in Japan.

TDC will leverage the expertise of a network of freelance designers, artists, and Japanese brands as well as an in-house design team to develop and promote new expressions of Japanese fashion. It will also serve as a global incubator for talent and inspiration through a Design in Residence program that will welcome designers from VF’s global brands to live, work and co-create together in this internationally recognized hub of Japanese streetwear culture.

TDC’s fully resourced design studio is already engaged on several new projects across VF’s brand portfolio, many of which will launch later this year.

“The launch of the new Tokyo Design Collective represents an exciting new chapter in the global expansion of the Dickies brand,” said Lance Meller, Dickey’s Global Brand President. “We look forward to leveraging the incredible design talent and commitment to Japanese craftsmanship these teams will enable, as well as the valuable consumer insights we can capture to accelerate market growth in Japan and around the world in this trend-setting market.”

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (NB)