Japan Brand: Fashion Nation

With developments like Hello Kitty, manga and Takashi Murakami for Louis Vuitton, you don’t have to look far to see the huge influence Japanese culture has had on international fashion. Some more trends may be coming down the pipe soon. Last week the Japan Brand exhibit, featuring artisans’ works from 30 different regions of Japan, came to the New York International Gift Fair. Fast Company did a roundup of some of the event’s most popular items. Here are a couple of my favorites:

I love the cedar handbag. Made from lumber remnants, the bag isn’t just sleek – it’s green, too. It looks like the next generation of the hard-case clutches that have been popular recently.

If this pillow was served on a platter, I’d think it was blue calamari. But somehow it still looks pretty hip. I could see it spicing up a modern living room.

Check out Fast Company’s full “best of” list. Hopefully retailers start carrying some of the featured pieces. Each item (and even the cutlery!) looks like a work of art.