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New rumors about 55DSL are stirring on the web these days, since the incredibly attentive manga readers concerned about artist Youka Nitta’s recent illustration that resembles one of the brand’s advertising photographs. Specifically, the opening page in Stand on Vessel (Haru wo Daiteita series #49) manga in the August issue of Be-Boy Gold Magazine bears a great resemblance to the famous “kiss on the the ledge” from the Fall-Winter 06 campaign, and Nitta directly acknowledged that she traced it and that she is somewhat naïve in her awareness of copyrights. Nitta also promised to deal with these issues more carefully in the future, and apologized profusely to 55DSL, the people involved, and her readers. 55DSL says: Nitta, don’t worry, we’re not that kind of brand, we consider this a tribute, only the greatest are copied, right? But honestly, our chick is hotter than yours!

the distinctive characteristics…reflect the Japanese subconscience and can be identified only by stripping away the influences of the modern history of manga as an imported style…Yet highlighting only those characteristics would slant the debate toward a closed argument…an echo of Orientalism.

Toys, animation, gaming, and western comics all show the influence of manga and anime, but evidence of this aesthetic can also be found in fashion, graphic design, industrial design, and fine art. Though initially this was considered a trend that would peak and be replaced, this movement, has steadily expanded since it emerged in the late 1980’s (in the US), and has established itself as a substantial and sustaining aesthetic, one that has transformed western design and consumer culture.

the continuing steady growth of manga and anime around the world in markets like France and Italy, which embraced manga years before the U.S. did, would appear to indicate that interest in anime and manga is not a flash-in-the-pan fad, but a trend that will continue on the upswing for some time to come. (www.icv2.com/articles/news/2953.html)

look at common misdiagnoses of "trends" — especially in Japan.

A lot of Japan-oriented trend blogs seem to push "cool" products as "trends" without any evidence that consumers agree

This essay is not to say that there isn’t noteworthy reporting on innovations, novelties, and borrowable ideas from the Japanese market, but there is always an error of over-reporting these as "mass trends." If we return to the initial problem in analyzing the "rent-a-luxury-bag" phenomenon, the best course may be to err on the side of skeptical neutrality. Reporting on new products and services is great fun for blog posts, but overselling novelty as "trend" can create a false sense of market realities.

The French fashion company Louis Vuitton and Japanese modern artist Takashi Murakami have produced Superflat First Love, an anime short to mark the revamp of Louis Vuitton's Multicolor Spring Palette line of leather accessories.