Japan-based bespoke fashion retailer Lifestyle Design has raised ¥740m ($6.6m) in a funding round featuring Nissay Capital, the venture capital arm of insurer Nippon Life, The Bridge reported on Wednesday.
The round included VC firms Globis Partners and Spiral Ventures Japan, the latter formerly known as IMJ Investment Partners Japan, and an undisclosed amount in debt financing from financial services provider Japan Finance Corporation.
Founded in 2012, Lifestyle Design operates LaFabric, a fashion e-commerce platform that provides custom-order business wear. Customers can save their sizes and combine their favourite fabrics and designs to create their own original clothing.
LaFabric started life purely as an online retailer, but in January 2016 it opened its first brick and mortar store in the Shibuya area of Tokyo. The funding will be used to improve user experience both online and offline, and to expand the company’s clothing line.
Lifestyle Design secured ¥100m in funding from Nissay Capital in 2015, according to The Bridge, adding a further $3.5m from Nissay Capital, IMJ Investment Partners Japan, Chibagin Capital, Future Venture Capital and undisclosed angel investors in January 2017.