ITOCHU : Announces New Expansion of the U.S. Brand Psycho Bunny

ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Masahiro Okafuji, President & CEO; hereinafter 'ITOCHU') announced today that it has recently acquired a master license for the Psycho Bunny brand in the apparel and accessories category for the Japanese market. It will embark on full-scale promotion of the brand in the Spring-Summer 2017 seasons.

The Psycho Bunny brand was invented as a brand for ties in the United States in 2005, by Robert Godley, who worked as a tie designer for the Polo Ralph Lauren brand after developing himself at the established UK brand of Turnbull & Asser. The brand trademark features the cynical combination of a bunny (rabbit) and a skull. Based on Traditional and Preppy styles, it offers classic sense of the old and the new. As soon as it launched, it suddenly became a hot brand in New York. After that, it expanded its range to polo shirts, T-shirts, and other apparel. Today in the United States, its sales have mainly expanded to major department stores, including Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom.

In Japan, this brand has been marketed as a men's fashion brand, appealing to fashion-conscious consumers. Apparel and other items are mainly being sold in department stores and multi-brand stores. ITOCHU acquired a master license for the brand in the innerwear and accessories categories and it has been dealing with such items since the Fall-Winter 2014 seasons. ITOCHU has recently acquired a master license in the mainstay apparel category to boost its branding efforts by comprehensively presenting the brand image in a bid to increase the value and the recognition of the Psycho Bunny brand in the Japanese market.

With respect to the apparel categories that will be newly promoted, ITOCHU will accelerate the launch of shops in department stores and fashion buildings, in addition to the stores directly operated by its subsidiary, JOI'X CORPORATION (headquartered in Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Hirofumi Suda, President & CEO; hereinafter 'JOI'X'). In five years, ITOCHU plans to increase the number of stores associated with the brand to 30. Sales of existing items will continue to expand chiefly in department stores. On a retail basis for the whole brand, ITOCHU aims to earn sales of two billion yen in the initial year and four billion yen in five years.
An exhibition for the Spring-Summer 2017 season will take place in October 2016, at the same time as Robert Godley's visit to Japan.

Major items for the Psycho Bunny brand and the retail prices (for the Spring-Summer 2017 season)

Jackets: 30,000 yen to 40,000 yen

Pants: 15,000 yen to 20,000 yen

Polo shirts: 14,000 yen to 16,000 yen

Custom wear: 5,000 yen to 26,000 yen

Shirts: 16,000 yen to 20,000 yen

Corporate Profile of RG2 LLC