ZenWorks and Brandog Appointed as Japan Sales Agent for Victoria and Albert Museum Licensing
Both companies to jointly develop new licensing opportunities for
the world’s leading museum of art, design and performance
The V&A has had a long and active presence in Japan. As well as touring exhibitions such as the recent David Bowie is exhibition in Tokyo, the V&A also has a long-established and successful licensing programme in Japan that includes licensees Arakawa (nightwear and lingerie), East (museum retail and exhibition ranges), Itochu (LeSportsac bags), Kuwayama (jewellery), Nikko (ceramics), Romance Kosugi (Bed linens), Salonge (aprons and home textiles) and Sony Music Communications (David Bowie is exhibition goods).
Roger Berman, president of ZenWorks commented, “It’s indeed an honour to be appointed as licensing sales agent for the V&A and we look forward to developing exciting new opportunities that build on an already successful licensing program in Japan.”
Fumihiko “Pochi” Kusama, president of Brandog added, “The V&A is a museum with a long and illustrious history. Its rich archives of art and design will certainly appeal to Japanese taste given our high appreciation and love of design.”
Lauren Sizeland, Head of Business Development & Licensing, V&A Enterprises said, “Our well established business demonstrates the V&A brand and incredible archives are of great interest to the Japanese. We are very excited to be working with ZenWorks and Brandog and confident their combined knowledge and experience will help us expand our activity in Japan”.
ZenWorks and Brandog will be seeking licensees across a broad range of product categories including apparel, home interior, personal fashion accessories and home decoration.
About ZenWorks Co., Ltd.
ZenWorks is a Tokyo-based licensing consultancy that delivers specialized license sales development, consulting, communications, media, trade show, and licensing education services to content creators and IP owners entering Japan and East Asian markets as well as Japanese companies expanding internationally. Brand representations include Slazenger, Donnay, Karrimor, Aspen and Hinchcliffe & Barber. Roger Berman, an established licensing professional in the Japanese licensing industry, founded ZenWorks in 2010 with the goal of helping clients develop sustainable and long-term licensing programs in the Japanese and global markets.
About Brandog Co., Ltd
Brandog Co., Ltd. is an independent business development consultancy established in 1995 operating primarily in the brand licensing industry. Clients, past and present, include blue-chip corporations such as Warner Bros., Texaco, Heinz, and Nissan Motors, public sector entities UNICEF and the Shizuoka and Gifu Prefectural Governments and advertising agent majors Dentsu and I&S BBDO. Brandog’s founder and president, Fumihiko “Pochi” Kusama, president of Brandog, previously held senior management positions in Levi Strauss Japan where he established the Dockers brand in Japan, then at Berleca Japan where he drove the business for brands such as Coca-Cola, OshKosh B’Gosh, UCLA, and Russell Athletic. Kusama was also instrumental in the establishment of LIMA Japan, and between 2002 and 2012 he spent nine years as managing director and one year as advisor. Kusama is also one of Japan’s few educational professionals specializing in licensing at university level. He is a visiting professor, lecturing on licensing and intellectual property at the Tokyo University of Science Graduate School of Innovation Studies. He is the author of Japan’s first comprehensive book on the licensing industry and is a widely in-demand seminar speaker on licensing issues.
About the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The V&A is the world’s leading museum of art, design and performance with collections unrivalled in their scope and diversity. It was established to make works of art available to all and to inspire British designers and manufacturers. Today, the V&A’s collections, which span over 5,000 years of human creativity in virtually every medium and from many parts of the world, continue to intrigue, inspire and inform.
About V&A Licensing
The V&A licensing partners worldwide produce ranges of homeware, stationery, accessories, jewellery, apparel, fabrics and gifts. Taking inspiration from the V&A’s vast archives, licensees create innovative products by balancing the old and the new, digital and traditional, plain and pattern, in a way that sets the V&A apart: an inspired slant on design that continues to delight customers globally. All profits from licensing are returned to the Museum, helping to maintain its position as the world’s leading collection of art and design, funding exhibitions, research, and collecting for the future.
For further information, contact:
ZenWorks Co., Ltd. – Roger Berman. Tel: +81 90 6003 7068 Email: rmb@zenworks.jp
Brandog Co., Ltd – Pochi Kusama. Tel: +81 46-870-5310 Email: pochi@brandog.net
V&A Enterprises Ltd. – Email: licensing@vam.ac.uk
