Outdoor Retailer - July 2017 - 75

2010s

Joanna Hashimoto

Outdoor Retailer 35th Anniversary

THE NEW FRONTIER
At popular Japanese apparel brand
Goldwin, Joanna Hashimoto has overseen record growth in the U.S. because
she embraces the differences between
the Asian and North American markets.
Written By M.T. Elliott

ou can't judge a company by its
booth size. Take for instance
Goldwin, which dominates Japan's
outdoor market yet is just starting
to carve out a larger slice of the American pie. To
facilitate that growth, Goldwin America was established in 2013, with a minimally staffed operation based in Manhattan Beach, California.
Fulfilling the role of communications
manager (as well as marketing and sales) is
Joanna Hashimoto, a Tokyo native who came
to America as an international student before
moving home for a job at Goldwin. After getting
reacquainted with Japan as an adult, she joined
Goldwin America CEO Shuzo Najima in the
California office in 2015, where her unique upbringing between the two countries is informing the company on the U.S. market.
"Everything is different, the fit, the pieces,
etc.," she says. "What sells in Tokyo is not necessarily what sells here."
The ski culture is different in the U.S., too,
with Americans more eager to venture out in
sloppy conditions. Goldwin has been in the ski
market since the 1950s and built a high-end rep-

utation in Europe, including a regional headquarters in Milan. It has sponsored the Swedish
alpine ski team since 1987. That slopeside credibility seems to be working in the U.S. market
already, where team jackets are Goldwin's top
seller. That a Swedish team replica would be a
hit in America wasn't intuitive, says Hashimoto,
but Goldwin America thought might work.
Goldwin's trademarks for distribution in
Japan include outdoor heavyweights like Helly
Hansen, The North Face, and activewear brand
Danskin. The licensed apparel is made to fit the
style trends and sizes of Japanese consumers.
The manufacture of American or European
branded apparel for the Asian market-in some
cases just the Japanese market-is completely
separate, with its own in-house design, sample
making, and quality control. "There's not a single product we put out that didn't go through a
screening in-house," says Hashimoto.
Goldwin manipulated the mix of styles and
performance with The North Face in Japan and
South Korea. While the outdoor line is comparable to the U.S. market, its fashion line spin-off,
The North Face Purple Label, creates unique

urban performance pieces. The label has a cult
following-in part because pieces aren't available outside Japan.
Designing in Japan and outsourcing manufacturing replicates other regional distribution setups, though the turnaround for
Japan-made products is shortened by its
proximity to factories in Southeast Asia. An
exception is Goldwin's athleisure line, C3
Fit, which is made entirely in Japan.
In Japan, Goldwin's retail strategy includes other brands. Its vertical integration
runs from design concept to the sales floor. So
when customers walk into one of its Saturday
in the Park stores, they see Helly Hansen next
to Goldwin and C3 Fit apparel, as well as accessories from other subsidiary brands. Of
course, these partnerships are not in play in the
U.S., where Goldwin has, however, seen record
growth in 2015 and 2016.
"As for Outdoor Retailer, our goal is to introduce our own brand Goldwin Ski and Lifestyle
and C3 Fit," Hashimoto says. She'll have to decide how many heritage performance ski pieces
to bring versus the more urban-styled apparel
that appeals to its home market. Hashimoto
will likely introduce the brand's windproof, waterproof, flat-seamed blazers or full Gore-Tex
denim pants that are wearable from the office
straight to the slopes.
"It's really hard for people to separate outdoor and the city life because they're living
in the mixture," says Hashimoto. "That mixture was already happening in Japan-and
not necessarily because we were really fast
in forecasting the trend. It's just the culture.
Japan is such a clustered small place." O.R.

35th Anniversary 2017 / OUTDOOR RETAILER 75

Outdoor Retailer - July 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Outdoor Retailer - July 2017