Sanyo Shokai
Japanese apparel manufacturer, distributor, and multi-brand fashion company.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Sanyo Shokai is a Japanese apparel manufacturer and distributor established in Tokyo in 1943 by Nobuyuki Yoshihara. The company began during the Second World War by repairing, processing, and selling machine tools, with a broader ambition to develop electrical industrial goods and textile products. After the war, it shifted decisively toward clothing. In 1945, it moved its head office from Itabashi to Ginza and began making raincoats from surplus blackout curtains. A large raincoat order in 1949 helped establish the company as a significant manufacturer and seller, while its 1951 registration of the Sanyo Raincoats trademark formalized one of its earliest commercial identities. During the 1950s, Sanyo Shokai expanded its department-store distribution and developed products that connected practical outerwear with contemporary fashion. Its Duster Coat received recognition in a Ginza Matsuya product competition in 1953. In 1959, the company adapted a coat associated with French actress Jacqueline Sassard and marketed it in Japan as the Sassard Coat. The product became a commercial success and helped move Sanyo Shokai beyond rainwear into broader apparel design and brand development. The company became especially associated with imported and licensed outerwear. It began selling Burberry coats in Japan in 1965 and entered licensed domestic production and technical cooperation arrangements with Burberry and other overseas coat makers from 1969. This relationship became a major part of Sanyo Shokai’s identity and retail business for several decades. Alongside licensed products, the company developed its own labels across men’s and women’s clothing, including EPOCA, FRAGILE, SANYO COAT, Mackintosh-related labels, Crestbridge, Paul Stuart, and other specialist and lifestyle brands. Sanyo Shokai also pursued international operations. Sanyo Shokai New York was established in 1978; the company later developed a production facility in Oneonta, New York, which opened in 1987. Sanyo Fashion House Co. Ltd. Italy opened in Milan in 1988, and the company worked with costume designer Carol Cohen in 1990 on a fashion-oriented reinterpretation of the trench coat. Its overseas manufacturing and operating activities were subsequently reduced, including the closure of Sanyo Sewing America in 1999, while the company continued to use international design, licensing, and brand relationships. The most consequential recent turning point was the end of Sanyo Shokai’s Burberry license on June 30, 2015. Burberry thereafter handled the Japanese market through its own local subsidiary. Sanyo Shokai replaced the former Burberry London, Burberry Blue Label, and Burberry Black Label businesses with a portfolio centered on Mackintosh London, Blue Label Crestbridge, and Black Label Crestbridge. Approximately 260 of roughly 350 former Burberry stores were converted to the new formats, with new designers and brand identities. The transition preserved parts of the company’s outerwear and store network but removed a globally recognized anchor brand, creating substantial commercial pressure. Today, Sanyo Shokai operates as a multi-brand Japanese fashion company focused on men’s and women’s apparel, coats, accessories, and lifestyle products. Its portfolio includes both proprietary and licensed or partnership-based labels, spanning premium outerwear, business and casual clothing, women’s fashion, traditional tailoring, and environmentally oriented products such as Ecoalf. The company has undertaken restructuring after the Burberry transition, including management changes, voluntary retirement programs, asset sales, and efforts to concentrate its business around its own brands and selected partners.
History
Sanyo Shokai was founded in Itabashi, Tokyo, in 1943 by Nobuyuki Yoshihara. Its initial activities were connected with the wartime repair, processing, and sale of machine tools, alongside plans to manufacture electrical industrial products and textiles. The company name combined the character associated with “three,” evoking major Japanese conglomerates such as Mitsui and Mitsubishi, with “yō,” derived from the name of Yoshihara’s father. Immediately after the war, Sanyo Shokai sold its Itabashi head-office factory and relocated to Ginza in August 1945. It began producing raincoats from blackout curtains left over from wartime use. In 1949, a major order to sew raincoats for the National Export Bazaar, organized by Daiichi Tsusho, gave the company a stronger position in the Japanese outerwear market. It registered the Sanyo Raincoats trademark in 1951 and expanded sales through department stores nationwide. The Duster Coat was recognized in a Ginza Matsuya competition in 1953. In 1959, Sanyo Shokai adapted a coat associated with French actress Jacqueline Sassard and sold it domestically as the Sassard Coat. Its success helped the company evolve from a raincoat specialist into a broader apparel manufacturer and fashion business. The company’s growth was strongly connected with international outerwear. Sanyo Shokai began selling Burberry coats in Japan in 1965 and entered domestic production and technical collaboration arrangements involving Burberry and other foreign coat makers from 1969. These activities established a long-running licensing model while the company simultaneously built its own labels and developed products for distinct demographic segments. Later brands included EPOCA, FRAGILE, SANYO COAT, Crestbridge, and numerous men’s, women’s, and lifestyle labels. International expansion included the creation of Sanyo Shokai New York in 1978. In the United States, the company selected Oneonta, New York, for a modern production facility because the area had experienced textile workers after a local textile factory closed. Construction began in 1986 and the facility opened in 1987. Sanyo Fashion House Co. Ltd. Italy opened in Milan in 1988. In 1990, Sanyo Fashion House collaborated with costume designer Carol Cohen on a fashion raincoat derived from the classic trench coat. Sanyo Sewing America later closed in 1999. Other activities included a 2001 promotional arrangement with Palm involving redesigned coats for business travelers and a 2007 online launch associated with the Fall 2007 collection. The company also developed RainWool, wool overcoats designed to provide rain resistance comparable to its micro-polyester rainwear. The decisive strategic break came when Sanyo Shokai’s Burberry license ended on June 30, 2015. Burberry assumed direct responsibility for its Japanese business through a local subsidiary. Sanyo Shokai responded by building a replacement portfolio. Mackintosh London was developed with Mackintosh, the Scottish waterproof-clothing company, while Burberry Blue Label and Burberry Black Label were replaced by Blue Label Crestbridge and Black Label Crestbridge. Roughly 260 of about 350 former Burberry stores were converted to the new concepts. Although this approach retained much of the retail infrastructure and outerwear heritage, the loss of Burberry created a major commercial and organizational challenge. In the years that followed, Sanyo Shokai experienced weak performance as it emphasized its own brands and replacement partnerships. The company offered several voluntary-retirement programs, changed presidents multiple times, faced calls from its largest shareholder for management renewal and a possible sale, and sold its flagship Ginza building. Its continuing business is organized around a wide range of men's and women's apparel brands, with particular strengths in coats, rainwear, tailored clothing, premium casualwear, and fashion-oriented lifestyle products.
- 2015
Burberry licensing relationship ended
[1]The Burberry license ended on June 30, beginning a major transition toward Sanyo’s own labels and replacement partner brands.
- 1999
Sanyo Sewing America closed
[1]The company’s Sanyo Sewing America operation was closed.
- 1988
Italian fashion operation opened in Milan
[1]Sanyo Fashion House Co. Ltd. Italy opened in Milan.
- 1987
Oneonta production facility opened
[1]Sanyo opened a production facility in Oneonta, New York, drawing on the region’s experienced textile workforce.
- 1978
Sanyo Shokai New York established
[1]The company established its New York operation as part of its international expansion.
- 1969
Licensed domestic production expanded
[1]The company began licensed domestic production and technical collaboration involving Burberry and other overseas coat makers.
- 1965
Burberry coats introduced in Japan
[1]Sanyo Shokai began selling Burberry coats in the Japanese market.
- 1959
Sassard Coat becomes a hit
[1]An adaptation of a coat associated with actress Jacqueline Sassard was marketed in Japan as the Sassard Coat and became commercially successful.
- 1951
Sanyo Raincoats trademark registered
[1]The company registered the Sanyo Raincoats trademark while expanding department-store distribution.
- 1949
Large National Export Bazaar raincoat order
[1]A major order organized by Daiichi Tsusho helped establish Sanyo Shokai as a significant raincoat manufacturer and seller.
Products and positioning
A Japanese multi-brand apparel house positioned around premium and upper-middle-market clothing, particularly technically capable outerwear, coats, tailored apparel, and fashion labels for different age groups and lifestyles.
Outerwear
SANYO COAT
A core Sanyo Shokai outerwear label centered on coats and weather-protective garments. It represents the company’s historical specialization in rainwear while presenting that expertise as a contemporary Japanese product proposition.
Premium outerwear
100年コート
A long-life coat concept associated with Sanyo Shokai’s emphasis on durable construction, timeless styling, and Japanese outerwear craftsmanship. The line expresses the company’s attempt to differentiate its proprietary products from licensed international labels.
Premium apparel and outerwear · 2015
Mackintosh London
A Sanyo Shokai-operated Japanese fashion label developed with Mackintosh after the end of the Burberry license. It served as a successor to the former Burberry London retail business and focuses on refined coats, outerwear, and coordinated men's and women's clothing.
Women's fashion · 2015
Blue Label Crestbridge
A women's clothing label created as the successor to Burberry Blue Label in Japan. It uses a new design identity while retaining a position in youthful, fashion-led apparel and accessories.
Men's fashion · 2015
Black Label Crestbridge
A men's clothing label introduced as the successor to Burberry Black Label. Its assortment covers contemporary menswear and accessories under a distinct post-Burberry brand system.
Women's fashion
EPOCA
A fashion brand in Sanyo Shokai’s women's portfolio, positioned around sophisticated apparel and coordinated fashion collections. It is one of the company’s established proprietary brand assets.
Men's and women's apparel
Mackintosh Philosophy
A clothing label in the Mackintosh-related portfolio, offering accessible interpretations of British-inspired apparel and outerwear for both men and women.
Luxury apparel
Paul Stuart
A premium apparel brand represented in Sanyo Shokai’s men's and women's portfolio, associated with tailored clothing, classic styling, and refined lifestyle dressing.
Sustainable fashion
Ecoalf
An environmentally oriented fashion label included in Sanyo Shokai’s brand portfolio. Its presence broadens the company’s offer beyond traditional coats and tailored apparel into sustainability-focused clothing.
Weather-resistant outerwear
RainWool
A series of wool overcoats designed to provide rain resistance comparable to the company’s micro-polyester rainwear while preserving the appearance and hand of wool outerwear.
Marketing campaigns
- 2001Palm business-traveler coat promotion
Japan
Sanyo participated in a promotional arrangement with Palm to redesign coats for business travelers, incorporating features described as protection against static electricity and radio-wave exposure.
Outcome. The long-term commercial outcome is not documented in the available source material.
Brand decisions
2015
Replace the former Burberry portfolioStrategyBackground
The company’s Burberry licensing arrangement in Japan ended on June 30, 2015, removing a major international brand from Sanyo Shokai’s retail and apparel business.
Action taken
Sanyo Shokai introduced Mackintosh London and rebranded the former Blue Label and Black Label businesses as Blue Label Crestbridge and Black Label Crestbridge. It converted approximately 260 of roughly 350 former Burberry stores.
Aftermath
The transition retained part of the store network and outerwear expertise but was followed by sluggish performance and a broader restructuring effort.
1990
Fashion reinterpretation of the trench coatProduct launchBackground
Sanyo Fashion House sought to extend the traditional trench coat into a more fashion-oriented rainwear product.
Action taken
Working with costume designer Carol Cohen, the company transformed the classic trench coat into a fashion raincoat.
Aftermath
The available material does not specify the product’s sales performance or subsequent commercial development.
Sources2 sources
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