Participating in Rakuten Fashion Week TOKYO for the first time in the 2023 S/S season, afterwards being awarded the TOKYO FASHION AWARD thereby participating in the showroom at Paris, and presenting their very first overseas show at Hong Kong, FETICO is leading the women’s market as a spirited, energetic brand. We spoke to their designer, Ms. Funayama, on the current state of this brand who is expected to flourish even further.

First, please tell us your current business situation.

We have tied a contract with a total of 38 accounts, national and international combined. Compared to a year ago, the number of accounts have increased, but at this point, most of the shops we had hoped to carry our items in already are, so from here on, rather than actively increasing the number of accounts, we are hoping to deepen our relationships with existing accounts.

How are your overseas developments?

With regards to overseas, in the 24 S/S season, we tied contracts with 3 accounts, in Los Angeles, South Korea, China. The number of accounts have been going up and down, so we are not yet at a stage of seeing dramatic growth. Thanks to the support from TOKYO FASHION AWARD (hereinafter indicated as TFA), we have participated in the Paris showroom twice, but I feel we are still at a stage of researching overseas markets and contemplating how to develop. During the 24 S/S showroom, which was the second time for us to participate in, we also exhibited in a showroom operated by a Japanese sales team, other than TFA. Participating in showrooms enables us to have our collection seen, but it also became painfully obvious that in order to have buyers visit the venue with the will to buy, prior laying of groundwork and communication is extremely important.

In your quest for overseas market developments, how was the response?

In my opinion, I think Japanese-like voluptuousness is the characteristic of FETICO, but from overseas, this seems to be seen as a powerful identity of the brand, which makes it highly unique. Furthermore, we are highly praised for our high quality. Even at the stage of seeing samples, many people often complimented us on how high our quality is. As for items, in South Korean shops, they mainly choose pieces with a casual outlook which can be worn daily, such as denims, whereas in Los Angeles where exposed styles are common, pieces such as bodysuits which are base only, and highly transparent pieces were purchased. It was interesting to see how aspects in demand differ depending upon area.

provided by FETICO

In expanding your transactions with overseas market in the future, what sort of things are you considering?

As in Japan, the directionality of the brand is not one that appeals to the mass but rather, to niche markets, so we are considering developing with a narrow target. Size wise, Asian regions are easier to attack, but we are receiving favorable praise from middle eastern regions also, so we need to reconsider our size range. Rather than difference in area, we feel ours is a brand that appeals to individual preference, so above all, I think it is important to first raise our level of acknowledgement.

What sort of item are presently favored domestically?

Bodysuits and inners are also popular, but our knit pieces have firm popularity. The fact that our body conscious items are highly elastic allowing for people of all sorts of body shapes to wear them seem to be favored, along with people feeling a freshness, newness in our never seen before knits, and/or use of threads. Such aspects seem to be connecting into popularity.

The brand has been enjoying smooth sailing in its growth, but what sort of issues do you think the brand needs to overcome?

It has been four years since the start of FETICO, and up to now, the brand has grown by continuously challenging ourselves in doing new things, but at the same time, tasks, such as production, have become enormous … Our team who supports this rapid growth is in dire straits, so the first issue we need to resolve is straightening out our organization.

Please tell us what motivated you to apply to TFA this time.

Because domestic developments were proceeding steadily, I felt I wanted to challenge selling overseas. I was also interested in seeing how FETICO is being seen among other domestic young brands from an objective point of view, and this was a perfect opportunity,

provided by FETICO

Having been awarded, what kind of experience has this year been?

Through this year, I feel we have matured from a state of going at it blindly, to realizing the picture of where we want to aim for as a brand.

A word of advice to designers considering applying to TFA, please

Throughout the whole experience from applying to winning the TFA, there are no negative aspects, so I would advise challenging it, by all means. Also, I think many people are operating their brand by themselves, but through the screenings of the award, you gain objective opinions on your brand’s position and/or appraisal, which connects to future growth.