M E D I A I N F O R M AT I O N
CONTENTS contacts page 2 introduction 3 history 3 product range 4 product development 4 highlights 5 community relations 5 media coverage 6 12 CONTACTS SAKAGUCHI Fashion Design Takaaki Sakaguchi Designer/Owner Phone: +64 3 355 2651 Fax: +64 3 355 9477 Mobile: +64 274 491 3741 Email: sakaguchi@paradise.net.nz Web: www.sakaguchi.co.nz Fashion Design Robyn Stewart Assistant Communications & Marketing Ltd Leigh Harris Phone: +64 25 594 052 Fax: +64 3 337 6665 Email: leigh@conv.co.nz PO Box 125 City Central Christchurch New Zealand Mobile: +64 211 099 396 Email: robyn@sakaguchi.co.nz 203 Papanui Road Merivale Christchurch New Zealand 2
INTRODUCTION Sakaguchi has captured the essence of the modern lifestyle with a range of clothing and accessories for women to live out their dreams with confidence and passion. Seen wherever stylish women converge, Sakaguchi s product range is equally at home in the urban environment, as it is in the boardroom or the next society function. The product range consists of three strands - urban, couture and soirée. Japanese designer and couturiere, Takaaki Sakaguchi operates Sakaguchi s headquarters and flagship boutique from Christchurch, New Zealand. The emphasis is on high quality, impeccable cut, value and broad appeal. After more than five years trading as Sakaguchi, the label is expanding exponentially, as products that suit the modern woman s requirements and attitude become increasingly popular. The company plans to stock throughout Australasia in the coming year. HISTORY THE STORY OF SAKGUCHI BEGAN WITH A COMMERCE STUDENT, SITTING IN THE LECTURE THEATRE IN A UNIVERSITY IN OSAKA, JAPAN, FIERCLY SKETCHING UP INNOVATIVE AND ADVENTUROUS DESIGNS Takaaki Sakaguchi Armed with a tertiary qualification in Fashion Design together with a Bachelor of Commerce, Takaaki started his fashion career working for the giant Japanese fashion house Koshino, which boasts an annual turnover in excess of NZ$5 billion. He eventually progressed to the position of chief designer and personal assistant to the managing director, and held considerable responsibilities including much of the financial and sales operations of the company (Ayako Koshino). During his time at Koshino, Takaaki took part twiceyearly in the Paris fashion collections. His dream of building his own company evolved in various forms and locations to become a blossoming business, on the verge of major expansion. Sakaguchi as we know it today first began with an old borrowed sewing machine in the spare room of Takaaki s apartment in Christchurch in the late 1990s. A store in Merivale quickly followed, along with establishing the operations base. Today Sakaguchi s Head Office is still in Merivale, though it now sits behind his flagship boutique with a fully equipped sample workroom dedicated topattern-making, cutting and producing the finest quality pieces. It s a long way from a sketch pad in the back of the lecture theatre and the old borrowed machine, but the dream and original passion remains. 3
PRODUCT RANGE SAKAGUCHI GARMENTS ARE AS INDIVIDUAL AND AS DIVERSE AS THE WOMEN WHO WEAR THEM Sakaguchi designs fall into three distinct categories: u r b a n The Inspiration: The Occasion: The Look: The Mood: COUTURE The Inspiration: Linear/Modular Architecture Contemporary Art Technology Street Scapes Weekend Down Time Clean lines Androgenous Statement pieces Directional yet completely Wearable Paris Haute Couture The Board Room Passionate, open-minded women who set bold but achievable goals The Occasion: The Look: The Mood: Soirée The Occasion: The Inspiration: The Look: The Mood: Time to Focus and Achieve Tailored Draped Contemporary Confident Optimistic Passionate Unafraid of Expression Box Seat on Opening Night of the Opera 1920s-Style Elegance Luxe fabrics Alluring Goddess Divine Opulence Sheer Radiance Unashamedly Feminine PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT Sakaguchi has a team of eight people dedicated to the product range and ensuring that all garments meet the evolving demands of clients. Developing dynamic new products not only requires extensive research of designs and materials, but also the purchasing of fabrics, accessories and trimmings, co-ordinating manufacturing of product and quality assurance. The production team continually researches new developments and trends within the fashion industry, and reports back to the large client database to keep them informed. This is an ongoing process that ensures Sakaguchi garments perform to the high standards that today s modern clients expect. Through smart use of innovative fabrics, Sakaguchi is able to develop garments that meet the huge range of specifications that today s modern lifestyle commands. Sakaguchi selects fabrics and materials which exhibit enhanced properties like function and strength without compromising on beauty and texture. These ultimately enhance end-user satisfaction, confidence and enjoyment. 4
HIGHLIGHTS LIKE ITS CLIENTS, SAKAGUCHI IS CONSTANTLY EVOLVING This coming season heralds a new era for the brand and the unique lifestyle it embodies. The launch of Sakaguchi s first commercial winter collection at the prestigious L Oreal NZ Fashion Week is inspired by the breathtaking scenery of Mount Cook and the surrounding Southern Alps. Takaaki s signature initiation show is titled The Three Moods of Sakaghuchi. Sakaguchi will feature alongside two other Christchurch labels, all members of ClothesLink Canterbury, the newly established Canterbury Development Corporation fashion cluster. Sakaguchi participated in the catwalk show which opened the international Asian Retailers Convention & Exhibition in New Zealand. A winner of several fashion awards in Japan, Takaaki s designs have featured on the TV broadcast of the 1997 and 1998 Smokefree Fashion Awards and the 2001 and 2002 Montana World of Wearable Art Awards. COMMUNITY EVERY YEAR, SAKAGUCHI ASSISTS WITH A VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS SOME RECENT and UPCOMING SPONSORSHIPS: July 2003: Rangi Ruru Girls School Design Mentor Programme March 2003 / September 2003: Positively Fabulous Seminars produced by local personality Denyse Saunders September 2003: Fashion and Flutter Fashion Show November 2003: Judging the Best Dressed Man at the Canterbury Cup (Addington Raceway) November 2003: Showing at the American Express Canterbury Collections and Awards. December 2003: Exhibiting at the Form Gallery as part of the Japanese theme for the new Christchurch Art Gallery, running concurrently with the Canterbury leg of the Japonism exhibition. 5
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