Free People debuts in Japan

Specialty clothing brand Free People will open two stores in Tokyo on October 25.

The openings will take place under a partnership with World Co, a Japanese company that has partnered with Urban Outfitters, Free People’s parent.

The new retail boutiques will be a multi-level space in the hip Harajuku district, and a shop at Lumine Est in Shinjuku. The shops are the first Free People outside North America, and the first in Asia for any Urban Outfitters brand.

In Harajuku, Free People will offer Japanese fans the chance to shop the assortment of apparel, accessories, outerwear, and intimates in a setting as unique as the brand’s retail locations in the US and Canada. A new wholesale showroom will open next door to the boutique, and will become the second dedicated international showroom following the opening of the brand’s London location in June.

Free People’s second location at Lumine Est is set to open the same day. The shop will also feature a varying assortment of the brand’s apparel specialising in dresses, statement bottoms, intimates, and layering pieces.

“We have indications from pop-up shops earlier this year, as well as from existing wholesale and e-commerce sales, that the Japan consumer will respond favorably to our product offering and lifestyle shopping experience,” says Free People COO David Hayne.

“The Free People expansion into Japan is a critical component in our growth strategy to increase brand awareness on a global scale and deepen our customer relationships,” adds MD Krissy Meehan-Mashinsky.

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