What is this brand?
This was one of the stores that caught my eye the first time I went to a mall in the United States—Superdry 極度乾燥しなさい. It’s probably something that would intrigue any Japanese person. But it would also raise many questions: What exactly is this brand?
It turns out to be a clothing manufacturer from England, offering fairly pricey fashion. “Superdry” is also the name of a well-known Japanese beer brand, so it feels familiar to us. But the phrase 極度乾燥しなさい (Superdry in Japanese) is, to be honest, a bit baffling.
The fact that they boldly display the word 極度 (“extreme”) in their logo suggests confidence in their brand, but to us Japanese, it comes across as humorous and mysterious. Perhaps it’s because we’ve never really used the words “extreme” and “dry” together in this way. It seems they wanted to express something like “Make sure this is completely dry.” But why? The mystery only deepens.
Lately, I’ve heard that the company’s business performance hasn’t been great. I sincerely hope they manage to turn things around—if only to keep offering us this fascinating sight. Looking back, I wish I had bought at least one item from them.
