Plus-size men get their first fashion show in Japan

Record ID: 85711

  • Title: Plus-size men get their first fashion show in Japan
  • Date: 23rd September 2016
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) SALES MANAGER AT SAKAZEN SHOJI COMPANY, LI TIANWEI, SAYING: "I wanted to spread the notion that big and tall men, who have trouble finding clothes to wear, can actually choose from a wider varieties of outfits and enjoy being fashionable."
  • Embargoed: 8th October 2016 10:14
  • Keywords: Japan plus size fashion show fashion Pochari Pottya model obesity Tokyo
  • Location: TOKYO, JAPAN
  • City: TOKYO, JAPAN
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Fashion
  • Reuters ID: LVA00450SC8YH
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Japan held its first fashion show for extra-large men in downtown Tokyo on Thursday (September 22), aimed at breaking down obesity taboos in Japan.
    The Tokyo Pochari (plump) Collection, jointly organised by a plus-size clothing brand and a fashion magazine for larger men, featured models weighing over 100 kg (220 pounds) walking, twirling and posing on the catwalk.
    The national average for an adult male in Japan is about 66 kg (148 pounds).
    Thursday's event attracted over 100 people, who were invited to disclose their weight for a discount on a new range of ready-to-wear plus size clothing items, but organisers said the event wasn't just about sales.
    They hoped the show would help change attitudes to plus size people in Japan, where obesity levels are among the lowest in the developed world and large people are often depicted as figures of fun on television.
    "I wanted to spread the notion that big and tall men, who have trouble finding clothes to wear, can actually choose from a wider varieties of outfits and enjoy being fashionable," said Li Tianwei, the sales manager at the plus-size fashion brand Sakazen Shoji.
    Attendees said they felt similarly. "I think there is a lot of 'skinny is better', but I think right now it's like they are starting to have more diversity in beauty standards," said Elina Taira, a 28 year-old Japanese-American living in Japan.
    "As a 'fatso' or big woman, I want more of these kind of events," added Momoko Kashiwazaki, a 37 year-old plus-sized media celebrity. "Even this one is still small scaled, I want it bigger so we can have more varieties of colours and fashionable clothes to enjoy."
    The word 'Pochari' in Japanese, as the collection is named, translates to 'plump' or 'chubby', which organisers say is more positive than more common derogatory terms used, such as 'debu', which translates to 'fatso'.
    For the 11 amateur models, this was a great way to boost their self-confidence, they said. "I used to be embarrassed by my big body, being a 'fatso'. But I've tried to take advantage of being big," said Takuya Shirase, 25.
    After the models strutted their stuff, out on stage came Pottya, a self-described "chubby" pop girl group.
    Show organizers told Reuters this year's event was so successful they hope to run a bigger event in 2017 with both male and female models.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register