Masao Ariga, president of Hermès Japon, took over as chairman of the Overseas Fashion Brand Association (OFA) in January, replacing Kenichi Yamagata, president of Loro Piana Japan. Speaking at the OFA New Year's party in Tokyo, Ariga said, "The environment surrounding overseas fashion brands is changing rapidly, and the role of brands is changing as well. Furthermore, Japan's market share is declining due to the influence of China and other Asian countries. Compared to 1996, the scale of overseas brands' business has nearly halved. We are in a difficult time where we need to shift from quantitative expansion to qualitative expansion and create new values." He continued, "I would like to achieve at least one concrete result this year, if possible. I would like to create opportunities for brands to collaborate and effectively communicate their value to local areas and to students, who will be future key customers. I want to unite all overseas brands and create a new movement." The Overseas Fashion Brands Association has nearly 70 brand-name members, including Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, and Yves Saint Laurent.