Adastria made its group company, Velvet, LLC, a California-based company that it acquired as a wholly owned subsidiary in 2017 as a foothold for expanding its overseas business. This spring, Adastria debuted its new Asian brand, Velvet by Sternberg, which inherits the philosophy of the company. Online sales in Japan and China began on March 3rd.
Velvet by Sternberg is a new brand that pursues high-quality, made-in-Japan products and features a completely different design team from Velvet by Graham and Spencer and Velvet by Jenny Graham, which are already available mainly in the US. We spoke with Satoshi Numakura, General Manager of the Business Development Division at STERNBERG CO., Ltd., about the appeal of this new brand.
—Could you tell us why you launched the new brand "Velvet by Sternberg"?
Founded in 1997 in Culver City, LA, USA, Velvet by Graham and Spencer became a hot topic among fashion lovers in Japan for its high-quality T-shirts, thanks to the West Coast boom in the global fashion scene. Currently, the brand is mainly sold in specialty stores and department stores in the US. However, when we considered the Asian market, particularly Japan and China, we felt the need to develop a new brand that differs from the so-called American sportswear-based products sold in the US. We have created a lineup for true fashion lovers, featuring sophisticated basic items made by a Japanese design team with extensive fashion knowledge and experience, and by highly skilled Japanese material manufacturers and sewing factories.
—What is the brand's signature item?
The item that first brought Velvet to the attention of fashionistas was an item called "forward T-shirts". It's a term coined by founders Graham & Spencer, and while it's difficult to translate into Japanese, we interpret it as "the best T-shirts, designed with inspiration from the feelings of the times," and we've developed it accordingly. This also represents the brand philosophy of this new collection, "Velvet by Sternberg." As the name suggests, the T-shirt is the signature item, and with this concept as our core principle, we'll be creating a season of comfortable, timeless items, mainly cut and sewn pieces, but also woven fabrics.
—What specific items did you pay particular attention to?
Forward T-shirts are made from Royal Supima cotton, a rare Indian extra-long staple cotton. While we are particular about using high-quality materials in our manufacturing, what we value most is "feel" rather than "specs." We place emphasis on the actual feel of the garment when touching and wearing it. Of course, we consider the traceability and ethical aspects of the materials themselves from a sustainability perspective, but rather than simply comparing yarn count or twist numbers, we offer items made in Japan that evoke a sense of richness based on relative values.
—It seems that unisex items are the focus of your offering?
Rather than reflecting society's genderless orientation, the trend toward oversized styles has shifted to minimalist designs, and unisex items have evolved into modern styles. The beauty emanating from simple designs and high-quality materials can be freely layered with unisex items to create a high-quality contemporary style. Items typically associated with women, such as dresses, are offered as women's items, but items based on tailoring, such as coats and jackets, are unisex in terms of size. This season, effortless items such as spring coats made from the finest British Super 120s wool mohair tropical material and jackets made from a polyurethane blend are easy to mix and match and have a beautiful appearance.
—What do you imagine the Velvet by Sternberg customers to be?
They are true clothing lovers who have worn many different brands in the past. One piece of clothing can enrich and change the day. They know that this is the joy of fashion. Encountering a timeless item means discovering true richness. We want to share the idea of creating things that make people happy. (END)
velvet BY STERNBERG Official site
[velvet movie]
https://youtu.be/9uRcZ-_2wKk
Velvet by Sternberg is a new brand that pursues high-quality, made-in-Japan products and features a completely different design team from Velvet by Graham and Spencer and Velvet by Jenny Graham, which are already available mainly in the US. We spoke with Satoshi Numakura, General Manager of the Business Development Division at STERNBERG CO., Ltd., about the appeal of this new brand.
—Could you tell us why you launched the new brand "Velvet by Sternberg"?
Founded in 1997 in Culver City, LA, USA, Velvet by Graham and Spencer became a hot topic among fashion lovers in Japan for its high-quality T-shirts, thanks to the West Coast boom in the global fashion scene. Currently, the brand is mainly sold in specialty stores and department stores in the US. However, when we considered the Asian market, particularly Japan and China, we felt the need to develop a new brand that differs from the so-called American sportswear-based products sold in the US. We have created a lineup for true fashion lovers, featuring sophisticated basic items made by a Japanese design team with extensive fashion knowledge and experience, and by highly skilled Japanese material manufacturers and sewing factories.
—What is the brand's signature item?
The item that first brought Velvet to the attention of fashionistas was an item called "forward T-shirts". It's a term coined by founders Graham & Spencer, and while it's difficult to translate into Japanese, we interpret it as "the best T-shirts, designed with inspiration from the feelings of the times," and we've developed it accordingly. This also represents the brand philosophy of this new collection, "Velvet by Sternberg." As the name suggests, the T-shirt is the signature item, and with this concept as our core principle, we'll be creating a season of comfortable, timeless items, mainly cut and sewn pieces, but also woven fabrics.
—What specific items did you pay particular attention to?
Forward T-shirts are made from Royal Supima cotton, a rare Indian extra-long staple cotton. While we are particular about using high-quality materials in our manufacturing, what we value most is "feel" rather than "specs." We place emphasis on the actual feel of the garment when touching and wearing it. Of course, we consider the traceability and ethical aspects of the materials themselves from a sustainability perspective, but rather than simply comparing yarn count or twist numbers, we offer items made in Japan that evoke a sense of richness based on relative values.
—It seems that unisex items are the focus of your offering?
Rather than reflecting society's genderless orientation, the trend toward oversized styles has shifted to minimalist designs, and unisex items have evolved into modern styles. The beauty emanating from simple designs and high-quality materials can be freely layered with unisex items to create a high-quality contemporary style. Items typically associated with women, such as dresses, are offered as women's items, but items based on tailoring, such as coats and jackets, are unisex in terms of size. This season, effortless items such as spring coats made from the finest British Super 120s wool mohair tropical material and jackets made from a polyurethane blend are easy to mix and match and have a beautiful appearance.
—What do you imagine the Velvet by Sternberg customers to be?
They are true clothing lovers who have worn many different brands in the past. One piece of clothing can enrich and change the day. They know that this is the joy of fashion. Encountering a timeless item means discovering true richness. We want to share the idea of creating things that make people happy. (END)
velvet BY STERNBERG Official site
[velvet movie]
https://youtu.be/9uRcZ-_2wKk
