Afternoon Tea LIVING, a lifestyle brand developed by ICL Co., Ltd., has announced new items for this fall.
The theme is "Dress Me UP!" The brand aims to convey the joy of dressing up your daily life in all aspects of life, from food and clothing to shelter, and the items were developed with the aim of inspiring people to create such a lifestyle.
A new clothing line will be launched on August 28th in collaboration with brand muse Satoko Koizumi. The concept is casual designs that are suitable not only for indoor wear but also for a quick outing in the neighborhood. New aroma items, produced by fellow brand muse Maki Ohashi, will also be released. The two attended the exhibition and shared stories from the development process.
The new line, "S/A Afternoon Tea WARDROBE," was developed with Koizumi's involvement. In addition to Afternoon Tea Living's original concept of "one-mile wear for casual outings around the neighborhood," the brand aims to evolve into "two-mile wear" that can be worn for occasions "just one step away from going out," such as dropping off and picking up children or having tea at a cafe.
Each item is designed with a focus on beautiful lines, ease of movement, and trends, all from Koizumi's unique perspective as a long-time model, and is also reasonably priced. All of the items worn by Koizumi at the exhibition were from the same line, including a crew neck cardigan (3,900 yen), checked shirt (4,300 yen), and panel skirt (5,300 yen). The designers were particular about keeping the prices of the latch pouches and canvas totes in the 2,000 yen range, and went through a process of trial and error, even choosing the fabrics. Another key feature is that they can be cared for at home.
During the talk session with Ohashi, Koizumi commented, "I think (the clothing line) suits (Ohashi) Maki because it's simple. Simple clothes bring out the radiance of a woman when she is shining."
In addition, an essential oil, the second collaboration project between Afternoon Tea, Ohashi Maki, and Tree of Life, will be released on August 28th.
This time the theme is "travel." The scents, developed through Ohashi's unique global travel sensibilities, are available in three flavors: "DAY for REFRESH," a refreshing blend of grapefruit and other ingredients evocative of a New York park; "SUNSET for RELAX," a blend of jasmine and eucalyptus globulus evocative of the sunsets of Amsterdam, where Ohashi lived; and "NIGHT for RESET," a blend of sage and other ingredients evocative of medieval Belgium. Each fragrance is available as a portable "blended essential oil" or a convenient, easy-to-use "spray," perfect for different occasions. Each is priced at ¥1,800. Ohashi, an aromatherapist, offers advice like, "I recommend dropping your favorite scent into your business card holder or notebook, as it can help you relax in the moment." Furthermore, Afternoon Tea Living, celebrating its 33rd anniversary this September, will be running a special campaign from August 28th to September 30th. The first 10,000 customers who spend over 4,320 yen will receive a miniature tea item in an original design tea tin, and the store will also offer a "Smile at GIFT" service that allows customers to send gifts to friends via social media.
