
Democratizing Luxury
Name Brands, Advertising, and Consumption in Modern Japan
By: Annika A. Culver
Paperback | 31 December 2024
At a Glance
Paperback
$85.25
Aims to ship in 10 to 15 business days
When will this arrive by?
Enter delivery postcode to estimate
Between the late nineteenth and twenty-first centuries, control over family disposable income transformed Japanese middle-class women into an important market. Growth of purchasing power among women corresponded with Japanese goods diffusing throughout the empire, and globally after the Asia-Pacific war (1931-1945). This book offers case studies that examine affordable luxury consumer items often advertised to women, including drinks, beauty products, fashion, and timepieces. Japanese companies have capitalized on affordable luxury since a flourishing domestic mercantile economy began in the Tokugawa period (1603-1868), showcasing brand-name shops, renowned artisans, and mass-produced woodblock prints by famous artists. In the late nineteenth century, personalized service expanded within department stores like Mitsukoshi, Shiseido cosmetic counters, and designer boutiques. Shiseido now globally markets invented traditions of omotenashi, Japanese "values" of hospitality expressed in purchasing and consuming its products.
In postwar times, when a thriving democracy and middle-class were tied to greater disposable income and consumerism, companies rebuilt a growing consumer base among cautious shoppers: democratizing luxury at reasonable prices and maintaining business patterns of accessibility, high quality, and exemplary service. Nationalism amid economic success soon blended with myths of unique Japanese identity in a mass consumer society, suffused by commodity fetishism with widely available brand names. As the first comprehensive history of iconic Japanese name brands and their unique connotations of luxury and accessibility in modern Japan and elsewhere, Democratizing Luxury explores company histories and reveals strategies that lead customers to consume these alluring commodities.
Industry Reviews
ISBN: 9780824899141
ISBN-10: 0824899148
Published: 31st December 2024
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Number of Pages: 416
Audience: Professional and Scholarly
Publisher: University of Hawai'i Press
Country of Publication: US
Dimensions (cm): 22.9 x 15.2
Weight (kg): 0.58
Shipping
Standard Shipping | Express Shipping | |
---|---|---|
Metro postcodes: | $9.99 | $14.95 |
Regional postcodes: | $9.99 | $14.95 |
Rural postcodes: | $9.99 | $14.95 |
How to return your order
At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.
Additional postage charges may be applicable.
Defective items
If there is a problem with any of the items received for your order then the Booktopia Customer Care team is ready to assist you.
For more info please visit our Help Centre.