In a December 2006 post, I mentioned that Softbank and Swarovski had teamed up to release a co-branded cell phone to appeal to Japan's trendy consumers. More of such pairings were bound to emerge, and we've begun seeing them with the unveiling of Japan's latest crop of portables. Some of the new collaborations include a Benetton PHS phone manufactured by Wilcom, a rainbow of 20 new color models created by Softbank and Pantone, and various devices that employ Sony Bravia or Sharp Aquos displays. However, the pairing that's most caught my attention is the partnership between NTT DoCoMo and handbag brand Samantha Thavasa, which released the 903i STNY model (pictured above) at the beginning of this month. Right now, this item is only available in markets near Osaka and Kyoto, but if it sells well, we're surely going to see many more Japanese cell phones designed around fashion brands. Prada and other style houses have already lent their imprints to handsets being sold in other countries, so it's possibly only a matter of time before luxe leaders such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci join the act in Japan.
* Need more information on this subject? Click here.
Comments