Georges, a Kyoto-origin brand, is set to expand its apparel offerings and enhance its market presence following its incorporation into Adastria.
Georges, an interior shop that originated in Kyoto in 1989, is undergoing significant changes following its incorporation into Adastria in 2024. The brand is gearing up for a notable expansion in its original apparel offering, slated to launch for the spring/summer season of 2025. Presently, Georges operates a total of 12 stores across Japan, primarily focusing on urban small-scale locations within train station buildings, where apparel constitutes about 30% of the merchandise. As part of the new strategy, Georges is aiming to align its apparel offerings more closely with miscellaneous goods, particularly in suburban shopping centers and upcoming street stores, where it plans to achieve a 1:1 ratio.
The first collection set to be introduced includes key pieces that were prominently displayed at the 2025 spring/summer exhibition. Women’s wear will feature casual American styles integrated with bohemian and Indian influences. The strategy involves leveraging Adastria’s production capabilities to enhance manufacturing speed and control production volume to meet market demand. The pricing for women’s shirts is expected to fall between 7,000 and 8,000 yen, while jeans will be priced around 10,000 yen. Additionally, Georges will continue to offer vintage clothing that complements its original items, catering to a growing interest among consumers in secondhand fashion while alleviating the hesitation some may feel towards traditional vintage stores.
In the men’s wear segment, Georges is focusing on vibrant, youthful designs characterized by large logo prints and neon colors. This collection is aimed at attracting younger consumers in their twenties and thirties, operating under the concept of “creating future customers for Georges.” Prices for men’s shirts will range from 5,500 to 7,500 yen, with jeans priced similarly at about 10,000 yen, echoing the pricing strategy utilized by various select shops.
Adastria itself has reported strong performance in its miscellaneous goods sector, particularly through its lifestyle brand “Lacole,” which has experienced double-digit year-on-year sales growth, especially in the Japanese tableware market. The sales composition of miscellaneous goods within Adastria now surpasses 25%. Masaki Nuida, who serves as Executive Director of Today’s Special, the company operating Georges, has established a medium to long-term goal of opening 100 additional stores.
In addition to its physical expansion, Georges is also transitioning its online presence. The brand’s current online store is in the process of moving to Adastria Group’s official online shopping platform, “and ST,” which is scheduled to launch on March 15. This move aims to leverage the platform’s user base of approximately 19 million to enhance brand visibility and create an integrated shopping experience linking online to brick-and-mortar locations.
Source: Noah Wire Services
