Our Brand Story

A third-person perspective improves decision-making

A suit is not simply an item of clothing—it is an embodiment of its wearer’s lifestyle.
When choosing a suit, many customers therefore rely solely on their own judgment.
But when choosing everyday clothing, a third-person perspective can often help the customer find better-fitting clothes, or choose clothes that completely change the customer’s look.
The same goes for suits. A third-person perspective can lead to the discovery of attractive variations.

For a customer, choosing a suit is choosing how they wish to shine. For this reason, it is imperative that we possess the ability to maximize how they shine.
We must become genuine advisors to our customers; we must develop the ability to sense unrealized desires, and hear unexpressed thoughts.

AOKI’s proprietary Stylist training system

At AOKI, we use logic—not intuition—to select the optimal style for our customers.
We have established a unique training system to enable each member of our workforce to become genuine advisors to our customers.
To develop this training system, we enlisted the help of Yu Ikeda, former director at The Men’s Fashion Unity.
Under his supervision, we systematized the foundational knowledge required to become an AOKI Stylist—knowledge that encompasses the history of clothing, color science, somatotypes, dress etiquette, and customer service techniques.
Over a period of more than a decade, we perfected the AOKI Stylist training manual, Dressing Right.
Using this training manual, we then established the AOKI Stylist Certification System, via which all our Stylists are certified.
The system enables AOKI staff to study the wide-ranging knowledge and various techniques recorded in this manual, and to refine their abilities so that they can become certified Stylists.

Style that illuminates the wearer’s inner charms

“The protagonist is not the suit, but its wearer”
This was one of Yu Ikeda’s principles.
In order to manifest this teaching, our Stylists are rigorously certified not only according to their knowledge, but also according to their ability to make recommendations to our customers.

The capacity to hear and grasp the unspoken voices of our customers; having listened to these voices, the capacity to recommend optimal styles for them; and the capacity to hone the thoughtfulness required to be genuine advisors to our customers.
At AOKI, our staff must acquire each of these skills before we certify them as Stylists.
But this is only the start.
The AOKI Stylist Certification System recognizes four grades of Stylists. Above the foundational “Stylist” rank, there comes “Silver Stylist,” “Gold Stylist,” and finally “Meister.” Meisters are our highest-ranking Stylists, and are also tasked with training future generations.

It takes a minimum of three to four years for staff to acquire Silver Stylist certification, and only 20% of Silver Stylists go on to achieve Gold Stylist certification. It also becomes increasingly difficult for staff to maintain the higher Stylist ranks.

The “Stylist Badge” that AOKI Stylists wear on their lapels symbolizes the responsibility they bear, having overcome our rigorous certification examinations and as the face of our company.

A suit imbues its wearer with confidence

But Stylists must do more than simply recommend suit styles based on their existing knowledge and experience.
Instead, they must change with the times.
Stylists must recognize the “present” that the customer exists in, grasp the fluidity of their values and the subtleties of their lifestyles, and maximize their appeal—what is it that this particular customer seeks in a suit?
Some customers hope to find the motivation and courage to face up to a new day. Other customers wish to incorporate flashes of brilliance and sophistication into their everyday.
At AOKI, we therefore place the greatest importance on communicating with each of our customers. We seek to grasp the inner feelings of our customers, and recommend styles ideally suited to them.
Our goal is to ensure that our suits make them shine every day, and our hope is that this shine will boost their motivation, contribute to the success of their business, and enrich their lives.

A third-person perspective can improve decision-making.
But our eyes are fixed not on the suit itself, but on the future of the customer who wears it.

“Discovering inner charms that our customers are not yet aware of themselves.“
Through our suits, at AOKI we will continue to forge the finest emotional experiences for our customers.

For the joy of wearing suits.