Kate Spade chooses Japan to debut new brand 'Saturday'

Saturday is a multi-category brand offering apparel, beauty, and home decor at a lower price point targeted at younger consumers aged 25 to 35.

The brand will launch globally through a Japanese e-commerce site and a flagship store in Tokyo's Omotesando neighbourhood. It will also be made available online in the US in Spring 2013. 

The announcement of Japanese launch follows the acquisition of Sanei International's 51 per cent stake in Kate Spade Japan by the parent company, Fifth and Pacific. The acquisition was valued at $47.6 million and was completed last October. 

Kate Spade Saturday has engaged digital agency Huge to produce its Pinterest-like website aimed at maximising social media. The brand has also worked with Work Architecture company to design a store concept that "celebrates the social side of shopping while creating a seamless grab-and-go experience". The store will have iPads stationed throughout the shop, featuring marketing messages, blog content, campaign videos and user-generated images. To keep customers engaged, the brand will launch new products in store and online every Saturday. 

As a nod to the brand's American roots, flagship stores will each house a cafe featuring rotating American food vendors. New York City pretzel shop Sigmund's Pretzels has signed on to partner with Kate Spade Saturday for the flagship in Tokyo.

"Through ongoing research, we saw an opportunity in the market to engage a new customer base—one that aspires to be a part of the Kate Spade New York brand," Craig Leavitt, the company's CEO, said in a statement.