Samantha Thavasa is a Japanese luxury fashion house founded in 1994 by Kazumasa Terada. The label is known primarily for its

handbag A handbag, commonly known as a purse in North American English, is a handled medium-to-large bag used to carry personal items. It has also been called a pocketbook in parts of the U.S. Terminology The term "purse" originally referred to a smal ...

s popular among women in their twenties. Other accessory lines such as Samantha Thavasa Deluxe, Samantha Vega, Samantha Thavasa New York were created to meet different markets. The company was founded in 1994 by Kazumasa Terada, the current CEO and president. Its name is derived from the characters Samantha and Tabitha Stephens from the American sitcom series ''

Bewitched ''Bewitched'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series that originally aired for eight seasons on ABC from September 17, 1964, to March 25, 1972. It is about a witch who marries an ordinary mortal man and vows to lead the life of a typi ...

''. The company has over 130 retail stores in Japan. In late 2006, Samantha Thavasa opened its first U.S. store in New York City.

Marketing

The company's marketing strategy is typified by its extensive utilization of Western celebrities and socialites in its advertising, although

Lee Byung-hun Lee Byung-hun (; born July 12, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He has received acclaim for his work in a wide range of genres, most notably '' Joint Security Area'' (2000); '' A Bittersweet Life'' (2005); '' The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' (2008) ...

was used to promote its jewelry brand, Samantha Tiara. American singer

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

along with her sister

Solange Knowles Solange Piaget Knowles (; born June 24, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She expressed an interest in music from an early age and had temporary stints as a backup dancer for Destiny's Child, which featured her older sister ...

and

Paris Hilton Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American media personality, businesswoman, and socialite. Hilton was born in New York City and raised there partially; shuttling between Los Angeles and New York City; she is a great-grandda ...

and

Nicky Hilton Nicholai Olivia "Nicky" Rothschild ( Hilton; born October 5, 1983) is an American socialite, fashion designer and model. She is a member of the Hilton family by birth, and a member of the Rothschild family following her 2015 marriage to James ...

have been in advertising campaigns.

Victoria Beckham Victoria Caroline, Lady Beckham (; born 17 April 1974) is an English fashion designer, singer, and television personality. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Posh Spic ...

Penelope Penelope ( ; Ancient Greek: Πηνελόπεια, ''Pēnelópeia'', or , ''Pēnelópē'') is a character in Homer's ''Odyssey.'' She was the queen of Homer's Ithaca, Ithaca and was the daughter of Spartan king Icarius (Spartan), Icarius and ...

and Monica Cruz and

Tinsley Mortimer Tinsley Randolph Mortimer ( née Mercer; born August 11, 1975) is an American actress, socialite and reality television personality. She is known for starring in the reality television series '' High Society'' and '' The Real Housewives of New Yo ...

had handbag lines with the company. Singer and actress

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...

also endorsed the brand in 2009. In 2011,

Taylor Momsen Taylor Michel Momsen (born July 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, model, guitarist, and former actress. Prior to her retirement from acting, she portrayed the character of Cindy Lou Who in the film ''How the Grinch Stole Chr ...

also became a member of Samantha Thavasa Muse. In 2012, South Korean girl group

After School After School may refer to: Film and television * ''After School'' (1972 film), a Chinese animated short film * ''After School'' (2003 film), a Singaporean film * ''After School'', a 2023 film directed by Lan Cheng-lung * ''Afterschool'', a 2009 ...

promoted the summer collection line with single "Lady Luck", in a commercial. In 2013, Momsen appeared in a television commercial for Samantha Vega handbags along with one of the Japanese idol

Tomomi Itano is a Japanese recording artist, songwriter, dancer, model, and actress. She is a former member of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. In 2011 she debuted solo with a single titled " Dear J", which wa ...

AKB48 AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol musical girl group named after the Akihabara area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48 has sold more records than any other female musical act in Japanese history. AK ...

. In June 2012, Australian model

Miranda Kerr Miranda May Kerr (; born 20 April 1983) is an Australian model. She rose to prominence in 2007 as one of the Victoria's Secret Angels. Kerr was the first Australian Victoria's Secret model and also represented the Australian department store c ...

signed a contract to become the latest celebrity muse, and launched a handbag line titled "Miranda Kerr for Samantha Thavasa Collection" in 2016. In September 2013, Samantha Thavasa announced that girl group

Girls' Generation Girls' Generation (), also known as SNSD, is a South Korean girl group formed by SM Entertainment. The group is composed of eight members: Taeyeon, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. Originally a nine-piec ...

would be the company's endorsement models. The girls wear Samantha Thavasa skinny jeans in various colors for television ads and for their eighth single "

Galaxy Supernova "Galaxy Supernova" is the eighth Japanese single by South Korean girl group Girls' Generation. It was included on the group's third Japanese studio album '' Love & Peace'' and was released as the second single from the album on September 18, 2013 ...

", released on 18 September.

References

External links

*{{Official website, 1=http://www.samantha.co.jp Clothing brands of Japan Retail companies based in Tokyo Japanese companies established in 1994 Clothing companies established in 1994 Fashion accessory brands High fashion brands Japanese brands Clothing companies of Japan Retail companies of Japan Companies based in Tokyo