The Japanese Apparel Industry and Consumer Society from 1950 to the 1970s

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the development of the apparel industry in post-war Japan. Previous studies have emphasized how unique customary practices in the transactions between wholesalers and retailers contributed to the development of the industry. This paper proposes a broader historical view, arguing that the apparel industry experienced three different phases in the post-war period. In the first phase (the 1950s), there was little progress in apparel production because the procurement of textiles was such an important factor in determining the competitiveness of apparel companies. In the second phase (the 1960s), apparel products saw rapid improvement, and ready-made apparel became available in various sizes and designs. In this phase, department stores and specialist shops provided different types of products and were drawn into fierce competition with each other. In the third phase (from the 1970s onwards), apparel companies began to develop sophisticated strategies in the management of retail outlets and the pricing of products. This new phase occurred alongside a general rise in income levels and the appearance of a range of designs. Consumers developed diverse tastes that fluctuated in unpredictable ways. This paper identifies the third phase as marking the emergence of consumer society and treats it as a typical socioeconomic phenomenon of our time.