"Decoded Fashion Summit" Lands in Japan Tectonic Shift in Fashion Industry Begins

The global event "Decoded Fashion Summit," which bridges fashion and technology to co-create the future of the fashion industry, will make its Japan debut in July. It is hosted by Condé Nast Japan, publisher of titles like VOGUE JAPAN, GQ, and WIRED. Dentsu Inc., as a project partner, will support the fashion industry's digital adoption and technology companies' participation in the fashion sector from a communications perspective.

Creating New Forms Through the Fusion of Fashion and Technology

The Decoded Fashion Summit (DF) was founded in the US in 2011 as a meeting place for top figures in the fashion industry and digital companies, aiming to create new forms for the fashion industry through the use of technology. It features sessions with world-class speakers and a "Mentorship Hub" that connects startups with brands, and has been held in New York, London, and Milan. DF's activities extend to 12 countries worldwide, including "hackathons" where teams compete to develop solutions and smaller "meetups." Most recently, it played a leading role in establishing the fashion division at South by Southwest (SXSW) in March, generating significant buzz.

---

Special Session
DF Founder Liz Basseller × WIRED Japan Editor-in-Chief Megumi Wakabayashi × Dentsu Inc. Yoshihiko Kyoi

Kyoi: What prompted you to launch DF?

Liz: In 2011, I witnessed the emergence of technology capable of transforming the fashion industry. As a journalist at the time, instead of just writing about it, I decided to create a world that connects fashion and technology.

Kyōi: In just three and a half years, DF grew into a global event. What changes did you see?

Wakabayashi: At the first event, 90% of attendees were from the tech world. That really shows how distant technology felt to the fashion industry back then. Now, fashion and tech are almost evenly split, and major global brands participate. I feel the psychological barrier to IT has dissolved, and they've started to see it as an essential force for their own evolution.

Kyoi: Last October, WIRED Japan featured DF, didn't it?

Wakabayashi: That was before Tokyo was confirmed as a host city, but the response was huge. Fashion brands, retailers, and select shops started reaching out asking, "What should we do?" It made me feel the Japanese fashion industry has a strong sense of urgency about technology and is searching for a catalyst to move forward.

Kyoi: Have there been actual collaborations between fashion and tech sparked by DF?

Liz: Countless! Perch's system was adopted in all Kate Spade stores across the US, and wireWAX signed a contract with the luxury department store Neiman Marcus. New things are emerging from encounters between entities that would never have met without DF.

Wakabayashi: I believe Japan will also see various changes accelerating simultaneously across different sectors. Ultimately, clothing is a physical thing. You can't completely confine it to the digital space. The question is what kind of changes digital will bring to it. For example, innovations like those Airbnb and Uber brought to housing and transportation are highly likely to occur in the fashion domain too.

Kyoi: The creation of a dedicated fashion division at SXSW, the global interactive festival, was also a big talking point.

Liz: DF made that happen. The energy was incredible. During the event, we coordinated about 100 meetings between fashion and tech companies, and some even signed contracts on the spot.

Kyoi: What are your thoughts on bringing this to Tokyo?

Wakabayashi: For Japan's fashion industry, it will be a valuable opportunity to experience cutting-edge examples and visions firsthand. Startups can also gain insights on how to better connect their technologies to business. What's crucial is how these connections persist after fashion and tech meet this time. We hope to see successful matchups progressing to proof-of-concept stages. Depending on big players' involvement, we anticipate the potential for a major movement.

Liz: Japan is a very innovative country. Unfortunately, however, the Japanese fashion industry still lacks new ideas. The relationship where the fashion industry becomes more innovative and tech companies become more creative should finally begin in Japan too.

---

Decoded Fashion Tokyo Summit
FASHION IN THE DIGITAL WORLD-ENGAGING TOMORROW’S CONSUMER
~Seeking Tomorrow's Fashion Users~
Date & Time: Thursday, July 9, 2015, 10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Official Website: www.tokyo.decodedfashion.com