A75 Since the 1970s, Japanese designers such as Issey Miyake, Kenzo Takada, Yohji Yamamoto, Hanae Mori, Junko Koshino and Kansai Yamamoto have made their debut at the Paris Collection fashion shows. They were joined by Rei Kawakubo and Junya Watanabe in the1980s and1990s. These days, young Japanese designers are still trying to make it in the international fashion industry, but it is a struggle. They find it hard to obtain the necessary funding, as well as to get unusual or special materials, due to the restrictive business practices of the Japanese textile industry.

The fact that many Japanese clothing manufacturers have moved their production bases to China, where labor costs are low, has helped raise skill levels in China and, in turn, has created a new threat to Japanese manufacturers.