Word: japanize
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...increase in the CAFE standards. They won a half-victory - the 2007 energy bill gradually raises the CAFE standard for cars to at least 35 m.p.g. by 2020. That's the first mandated increase in two decades - but the U.S. standards still lag behind those of Europe and Japan, and barely keep pace with China's. And, yet, that increase - against which foot-dragging U.S. automakers fought hard, complaining about the cost of meeting higher fuel efficiency standards - required compromises, which forced the NHTSA to keep using the old rules. "It's a shame that when this law was passed...
...retail rock star on its way to Harajuku. In the Japanese capital's frenetic neighborhood, where young Tokyoites troll the shops of local and global brands for hip deals, fans are already worked into a frenzy. H&M's second store in Japan - nestled in a glass building with a façade worthy of a SoHo gallery and branded with the signature red "H&M" - uses monochromatic tones and floor-to-ceiling windows to make the Swedish giant's bright-colored clothing stand out. But there's still one thing missing: lines of eager Japanese consumers winding around...
...Those will come tomorrow, when H&M security is put to the test by the thousands of customers expected to arrive before the store opens at 11AM. When the world's third-largest apparel retailer debuted its Japan flagship two months ago in Ginza, Tokyo's own Fifth Avenue, some 3000 shoppers lined up for first dibs on the brand's affordable fashion, amidst falling luxury sales on the same street. As Japan's recessionary economy and the appreciation of the yen left other businesses in Japan to watch purse strings tighten and household consumption drop, people continued to wait...
...From tomorrow, H&M will try to show Harajuku's young shoppers what it can offer - and what the global competitors that share the same block, like GAP, Topshop, and Zara, can't. H&M Japan says it will monitor the pricing of other brands, including Japan's own uber-casual UNIQLO, but isn't fazed by the competition. "If you've seen one GAP, you've seen them all," says Andersson. He says one of H&M's strengths is that it can tailor a store for the customer in a particular neighborhood or shopping district. "An advantage...
...often dull the next. "Japanese consumers are very fashion conscious and detail-oriented. They have high expectations on service," says Edman, who was born and raised in Tokyo before going to Sweden. She and her team are banking on the fact that H&M's relationship with Japan is already a strong one. Tokyo has even been a source of inspiration for H&M's designers, as reflected in the company's most recent designer collaboration with Rei Kawakubo's high-fashion label, Comme des Garcons. "Japanese usually pick one piece here, one piece there and put it together. That...