Rain + GRNY = Ninja Assassin Plug

[Flickr/How and Nosm]

Rain, the Korean hottie-potattie pop star and archenemy of Stephen Colbert, did a rare autograph signing at the NY Giant Robot store last Friday to promote his new U.S. film, Ninja Assassin. I didn’t go (not that I’m even in NYC), but I did watch this YouTube video recap, so close enough. Needless to say, it reminded me of that time I stood in line for an hour to meet Hyde of L’arc en Ciel….though I am sure, Rain fans are a little more rabid.

If I did go (and I wasn’t giddy like a school girl with drool coming down my mouth), I’d like to ask Rain these questions:

• What in the world made you go with Ninja Assassin as your next U.S. film project? This movie looks like cheese with a side of green screen special effects.
• What makes you qualified to play a ninja? Last time I checked, you’re a dancer and a singer – not a fighter. (Yea, yea, I know they made it work for Drew Barrymore/Carmen Diaz/Lucy Liu for Charlie’s Angels, but fancy wire work and camera angles just aren’t as cool as the real deal).
• Will you also try to break into the U.S. music scene? I think you’d fare better in this arena and if you succeeded and became the Asian Shakira, you’d finally break down the Asian wall that your predecessors failed to do…ahem…Utada, BoA and Coco Lee.
• How does it feel to be pursued by Megan Fox? Congratulations, you are the envy of a LOT of men.

Filed under: Film, Marketing, Music, Asian, Film, Giant Robot, Korea, Marketing, Music, New York, Ninja Assassin, Rain

China’s Ports 1961 Opens NYC Boutique

Ports 1961 1, originally uploaded by tutti dolce.

On Valentine’s Day, Ports 1961 opened it’s second U.S. boutique in New York City’s meatpacking district. To be honest, this is the first time that I have ever heard of this international luxury fashion label from China. Looking at the lifestyle shots from its ad campaign, I think that I am in love with this line! There’s a classic, almost vintage, look to their collection and pale, dusty color palate is so pretty!!

I did some research and found that this brand has a pretty interesting history (see here for the extended business story in Forbes). Originally a Canadian company when it was founded in 1961, Ports Design Ltd. experienced moderate success in North America in the 1980s; however, the recession and over-expansion led to its bankruptcy in 1994. To save the company, CEO Alfred Chan decided to move everything to Xiaman, China. Now when I say everything, this includes design, manufacturing, marketing, finance and the target customer base. The company then rebuilt itself thanks to the growing buying power of China’s neo rich. The Ports 1961 line was later launched in 2005, which has a higher price point than the Ports label.

As a side note, I can’t help but wonder if February 2009 wasn’t the best time to expand Port 1961′s American presence from L.A. to New York. The current state of the economy is very likely to hinder people from spending much on luxury goods, let alone a relatively unknown luxury brand. Mei Fong of The Wall Street Journal posed a similar question in her China Journal blog post in which she asked “Does making it in American retail matter anymore?” Only time will tell.

Filed under: Fashion, Retail, Asian, China, Fashion, Hong Kong, New York, Ports 1961, Retail

Jolin Tsai Partners with L.A.M.B. to Launch “Twenty Seven Changes”

Looks like Jolin Tsai is following Gwen Stefani‘s paved path into the fashion world. Taiwan’s reigning queen of pop launched her very own own fashion line, “Seventy Two Changes,” through a partnership with L.A.M.B. Clothing (i.e. Gwen Stefani’s label). Like her American counterpart, Jolin has named her line after her 2003 album, “See My 72 Changes – Magic.” The sportswear collection will feature both street and club wear (as if the market hasn’t had its fill of that) and will be hitting stores in seven cities worldwide including New York, Shanghai and New York. The announcement was made during New York Fashion Week on Monday (2/9) by Jolin and L.A.M.B. president and co-founder, Ken Erman.

Here’s a fuller description of the new line as reported by WWD:

A mix of club-appropriate and streetwise items such as a black T-shirt dress accented with bright blue and silver sequin details, structured tuxedo jackets and vests with beading details at the shoulders, lightweight wool plaid tops, leather leggings with zipper details at the ankles, silk chiffon printed tops and dresses, a taffeta motorcycle jacket and an asymmetrical bomber jacket.

Based on what I’ve read, it sounds like Jolin is not really the designer behind the brand (no surprise there), just the face of L.A.M.B.’s new global push into the Chinese speaking world. This line is based on Jolin’s style and image and will be priced lower than L.A.M.B. – so while it isn’t being positioned as a diffusion line, it certainly sounds like it is one. No doubt, building this brand in a depressed global economy is going to be tough, but it will be interesting to see if her fans will buy regardless or spend their money on a more reasonably priced copycat.

Filed under: Fashion, Asian, Designer, Fashion, Fashion Week, Jolin Tsai, L.A.M.B., New York