Takeshi Kitano rarely appears on stage or TV as comedian Beat Takeshi these days. He is a film maestro who directs violent movies that are more talked about overseas than in Japan. The 71-year-old actor-director knows that, and so do others.
As a cultural icon of a sort, he also emcees TV variety shows with debates and is sometimes sneered at by co-performers and viewers for making inappropriate remarks. He says his goal for the future is winning either the Akutagawa Prize or the Naoki Prize, the two prestigious literary awards in the country.
In May, he launched apparel brand Kitanoblue. The name comes from the color of blue he often uses in his films, which is called "Kitano blue" by fans. Fifty items by the brand -- clothing and other products -- are now available at department stores and apparel shops across the country as well as online. They include a T-shirt with his trademark pose, crushed denim pants, smartphone cases and coffee mugs. The brand is run by Gonzo, a company started by one of Kitano's pupils, comedian Muhomatsu.
I doubt the brand will sell very well as he has lost his aura as a TV personality.
Takeshi also drew laughs from reporters with his signature dark humor at a recent press conference, saying: "I hope it will grow into a brand that goes down in history. [I] don't believe it myself, though."
This is not the first brand Takeshi has been involved in. In the 1990s, he opened curry restaurant Kitano Indogaisha. (The name was a pun on East India Company in Japanese.) There were branches in tourist resorts, such as Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture; the Kiyosato highland area in Yamanashi Prefecture; Harajuku, Tokyo; and Hawaii. The restaurants also sold merchandise bearing his image. It was the time when his popularity as a comedian was at its height.
It was also the heyday of showbiz star shops. Flawless Seiko by singer Seiko Matsuda is believed to have started the trend. The shop in Jiyugaoka, Tokyo, boasted of generating 2 billion yen in annual sales at the peak of its popularity. Comedy duo Tunnels, musician Masashi Tashiro and some other stars also had success with their shops although most of them subsequently closed down. Flawless Seiko is still in business under a different name, Felicia Club Seiko Matsuda.
When the star in question disappears or loses popularity, his or her shop is finished as a matter of course. Online shopping has become common, and people no longer find fun in buying merchandise bearing the names or images of celebrities in tourist resorts.
Still, there have been successful celebrity brands, thanks to innovative ideas and commitment by the artists.
Tuche Uno Kanda, patterned pantyhose presented by model-actress Uno Kanda, was the greatest success story of a female showbiz star's brand. Launched by major innerwear and legwear company Gunze, the pantyhose was extremely popular about 10 years ago, setting a record of selling 20 million pairs. Its package bore a large picture of Kanda showing off her long legs, perhaps creating the illusion that anyone could have legs like hers by wearing the product. Kanda not only provided her image but also offered advice to the company regarding motifs on the ankle and the products' durability. The brand has since reached its end of life.
Maison de Reefur owned by Rinka, a 45-year-old model, is the most successful example of celebrity shops right now. Its first shop was opened in Daikanyama, Tokyo, in 2012 by major fashion company Jun, followed by branch shops in Shinjuku, Tokyo; Yokohama; Nagoya; and Hakata. The shops are supported by young mothers coming with baby strollers. The brand is also doing well online, with 30 to 40 percent of the profit coming from internet shopping.
The company running a number of successful celebrity brands right now is LDH Apparel, a subsidiary of LDH Japan, which produces and sells clothes and other merchandise of popular song and dance group Exile. Sales of Exile-related clothes and merchandise are still growing, albeit gradually. They are quite different from the past celebrity brands with many ups and downs and have a far better fashion sense than average apparel brands.
Miura is the editor at large of WWD Japan.
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