Only in Japan

This year’s end, barely a month before Christmas, has turned out to be quite a fashion show season. In Tokyo last Thursday, before Louis Vuitton men’s pre-fall 2024 in Hong Kong, the Japanese convenient store chain FamilyMart is celebrating their 40th anniversary, and have staged their first fashion presentation for their house brand Convenience Wear in the capital’s Yoyogi Stadium, a two-gymnasium complex, sandwiched between two youth fashion hubs, Harajuku and Shibuya. To be sure that this is indeed a konbini event, FamilyMart built a stocked-up circular convenient store as backdrop for the runway (which rather reminded us of the Chanel’s supermarket that the late Karl Lagerfeld dreamed up in the Grand Palais for the autumn/winter 2014 ready-to-wear collection). If it was not quite a riot of a fasshonsho, it sure was a riot of colours.

FamilyMart is, of course, not a gloomy place to buy daily necessities or food, such as oden and onigiri (among many other takeaway delectables). The clothes do reflect the cheeriness that most convenient stores in Japan project, especially FamilyMart. They are, in fact, not new to the retailing of clothes in their stores. But, most items sold in the past have been extremely basic (mostly inner wear, in black, white, navy or grey), until Convenience Wear arrived in 2021 (like so many workable ideas, the line was created during the pandemic). Now, FamilyMart is pushing what they can offer even further. Rather than going about on their own, they have chosen to collaborate with Facetasm, the street-centric label founded by Hiroshi Ochiai in 2007. But rather than create a ‘lite’ version of what Facetasm does so well—mixing elements and styles, Mr Ochiai and his team reimagined what basics could be and, in doing so, brought tremendous chromatic energy into Convenience Wear. The look is stylish without trying too hard.

Where FamilyMart could go with this is not immediately certain. But garment sales in their stores are looking promising. And it seems that clothing in the same space as food and home goods is a natural fit. According to Nikkei Asia, apparel sales for the chain grew in 2022 by 60 percent, and a 40 percent rise was projected for this year. FamilyMart—locals call it Famima—is unlikely planning to take on, say, Uniqlo or sister brand GU. They are still seen as a konbini. But as basic as the clothes shown were, they were not devoid of spirit. Although they are unlikely what shoppers would pick to attend a wedding in, the pieces are thoughtfully conceived and desirably cheery for a gloomy world, made dimmer by unceasing wars. Therefore, chinos come in, for example, yellow and green, cardigan in nut brown and hot pink, and ponchos in lime and fuchsia. There are surprising items such as slip-tops, shirt-dresses, gilets, and even denim wear. The appeal could be distilled to the styling, but Convenience Wear looks saturated with potential.

Regular visitors to Japan would know how fun the country’s convenient stores are. But most of us do not go to, say, FamilyMart to buy clothing, except perhaps socks (one of our contributors Ray Zhang has bought a cotton T-shirt and swore by its “seductive quality”). It is not quite clear how this can be executed on a larger scale. As we understand it, the garments come in flat plastic packs and are hung on metal racks, sans hanger displays. It is not known if the clothes can be tried on for size. Without unpacking the items, it may be hard to estimate if they’d fit, but our Tokyo contributor Jiro Shiratori told us that sample pieces are available and returns are accepted. Convenience Wear may indeed be convenient for travelers who have forgotten an article or two of clothing, or items that are unlikely packed in a suitcase, such as a poncho for inclement weather. All, we were told, cheerily priced. And perhaps, more enticing is that they are opened 24 hours a day, far longer than the good ’ol standby Uniqlo.

Photos; FamilyMart, Japan