ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Masahiro Okafuji, President & CEO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) announced today that it has signed an agreement with Reyn Spooner Inc. (headquartered in Hawaii, United States; Kirk Hubbard III, CEO; hereinafter “Reyn Spooner”) to secure exclusive import/distribution and master license rights for the Reyn Spooner brand in the Japanese market. The comprehensive market release of the brand incorporating importing and licensing will begin in the 2016 spring/summer season.

Reyn Spooner is a lifestyle brand founded in 1956 in Hawaii. In 1949, one of the founders, Reyn McCullough, opened a men’s haberdashery in Catalina Island, California. In 1956, the other founder, Ruth Spooner, began selling custom-made surf shorts at Waikiki Beach on Hawaii’s Oahu Island. Later, the two collaborated to found Reyn Spooner, which has produced more than 2,000 individually hand-painted print patterns, as well as styles with a distinctive washed-out look achieved by the novel method of using the reverse side of printed fabric. With these innovations, together with the development of a unique cotton-polyester blend called “Spooner Kloth” that becomes softer with each wash, the company has established itself as the pioneer of Hawaiian shirts. Today, the brand is sold in seven directly managed stores including Ala Moana Shopping Center, as well as in department stores and specialty stores, and almost 60 years after its founding continues to be loved as a leading Hawaiian brand.

The brand has been sold in the Japanese market since 1996’s, primarily as imports in department stores and specialty stores. This latest agreement has been concluded because Reyn Spooner’s objective of reinforcing the branding of the Reyn Spooner brand in the Japanese market is in keeping with ITOCHU’s objective of introducing high-quality value-added brands with an eye to developing its Asian business.

Going forward, ITOCHU aims to enhance the value of the Reyn Spooner brand and raise its profile further by leveraging ITOCHU’s extensive experience and expertise in brand business and the manufacture of apparel, combined with Itochu Fashion System Co., Ltd.’s marketing capability, through the comprehensive market release in Japan incorporating importing and licensing. Through the expansion of its business, primarily licensed fashion accessories and sundries such as apparel, bags, and shoes, it aims to achieve retail sales of 2 billion yen in five years.

• Exhibitions planned (sponsored by ITOCHU)
  Date: September 16-18, 2015
  Venue: ifs Future Laboratory, Miraiken Salon WORK WORK SHOP
  CI Plaza 2F, 2-3-1 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Company Profile of Reyn Spooner

Lahaina Sailor, representative pattern

Reyn McCullough, founder

Reyn McCullough, founder