For decades, Tokyo¡¯s fashion scene has held a certain cultural cachet among sartorial enthusiasts. Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake, Comme des Garcons, Kenzo, Sacai and Junya Watanabe ¡ª innumerable brands have helped define Japan¡¯s global fashion identity, but so, too, have Harajuku-inspired subcultures, avant-garde streetwear aesthetics and an overall ethos of impeccable craftsmanship.
However, accelerated by social media, an increasingly weakening yen, a record-breaking tourism boom and the rise of online resale platforms, Japan¡¯s secondhand fashion industry ¡ª where many valuable pieces of apparel could once be had for a fraction of their retail prices ¡ª is no longer a market for domestic consumers alone.
It¡¯s a global one.
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