Centric Software-hosted Event for Apparel Industry, 'Centric Connect Tokyo Fashion 2026,' to Feature Speakers Mr. Nishida from MOONRAKERS and Mr. Nakata from Mizuno

Centric Software® announced that the speakers for the keynote and user sessions have been decided for "Centric Connect Tokyo Fashion 2026," an event for the apparel and fashion industry to be held on Friday, April 24, 2026, at TRUNK(HOTEL) in Shibuya, Tokyo.

This event is a conference for the apparel and fashion industry hosted by Centric Software, themed around data utilization connecting product planning to sales amidst accelerating AI adoption and data-driven management, sharing practical examples and the latest solutions from leading companies.

https://www2.centricsoftware.com/prt-centric-connect-tokyo-fashion-2026

■ Keynote Speech: "Another Fashion Business" by Mr. Makoto Nishida of MOONRAKERS

Mr. Makoto Nishida, Representative Director and CEO of MOONRAKERS TECHNOLOGIES Inc., will be a keynote speaker.

Amidst an increasingly challenging market environment due to declining population and price deflation, the Japanese apparel industry is at a major turning point. Mr. Nishida will present a new business model, "Shin Textile Industry Where Everyone Involved Becomes Rich," through the initiatives of MOONRAKERS, a spin-off venture from Toray, and discuss the potential and future of Japanese manufacturing.

■ User Presentation: Mizuno Shares the Reality of PLM Implementation

In the user presentation, Mr. Ryohei Nakata from Mizuno Corporation's Global Apparel Product Division will speak and share real-world experiences from their PLM implementation project.

Regarding PLM, for which implementation examples are still limited domestically, he will specifically explain the process from the consideration stage to full operation, key points for project promotion, implementation effects, and challenges from a ground-level perspective. This content will provide practical insights for companies considering PLM implementation.

■ Data Utilization Infrastructure Supporting Product Strategy in the AI Era

In recent years, the apparel and retail industries have demanded advanced product strategies due to shorter trend cycles, the expansion of EC/D2C, and supply chain complexities.

On the other hand, while AI's market analysis advancements have progressed in visualizing trends and best-sellers, establishing mechanisms to connect this to product planning, development, and sales remains a challenge.

This event will introduce a data utilization infrastructure that consistently connects product planning to sales by combining AI-driven market analysis, MD planning, product development management via PLM, and product information management via PIM, with demonstrations.

▪️ Highlights of Centric Connect Tokyo Fashion 2026

• Keynote speech by Mr. Nishida of MOONRAKERS, a spin-off venture from Toray
• Practical case study of PLM implementation by Mizuno
• Demonstration of product strategy using AI x PLM x PIM
• Networking with fashion industry professionals

This event will be a forum to discuss the direction of the next generation of fashion business, not merely a product introduction, but through the initiatives of companies actively driving transformation.

▪️ Who Should Attend

For brand and retail companies in the apparel, fashion, sports, and outdoor industries:

• Those involved in Merchandising / Product Planning & Development
• Heads of DX Promotion, IT / Digital Departments
• EC / Omnichannel / Marketing Personnel

Especially those who:

• Are facing challenges in shortening lead times from product planning to development
• Wish to break away from the personalization of MD operations or Excel-based management
• Are interested in product strategies utilizing market data and AI
• Are considering the implementation or utilization of PLM or PIM

■ What is Centric Connect

Centric Connect is a global event series hosted by Centric Software worldwide. It is positioned as a place where leaders from the fashion, retail, and consumer goods industries gather to share market changes, product strategies, data utilization, and actual implementation cases. This Centric Connect Tokyo Fashion 2026 will be held as an event specifically for the fashion industry.

Furthermore, with the addition of Centric PXM (formerly Contentserv) to Centric Software's solution portfolio, the event will introduce initiatives and best practices for "overall optimization" from market analysis to sales, not just product development. For participant feedback from past Centric Connect events and an overview of Centric solutions, please refer to our blog articles.

>>>The Next Move for the Fashion Industry: Towards the Centric Connect Tokyo Fashion 2026 Event

▪️ Event Overview

Date: Friday, April 24, 2026, 14:00 - 19:00 (including networking)

Venue: TRUNK(HOTEL) (5-31 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo)

Organizer: Centric Software Inc.

Participation Method: Advance registration required (free to attend)

Target Audience: Apparel manufacturers, Brand & Retail industry executives/directors, heads of business departments, product development/planning, MD, marketing, sales, and commerce departments.

Application URL: https://www2.centricsoftware.com/prt-centric-connect-tokyo-fashion-2026

■ Centric Software® (https://www.centricsoftware.com/ja)

Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Centric Software provides a product lifecycle management platform for retailers, brands, and manufacturers of all sizes, supporting AI-driven product concepts through to inventory replenishment. As experts in fashion, luxury, footwear, outdoor, home, food & beverage, cosmetics & personal care, and general retail, Centric Software offers optimal solutions for product planning, design, development, sourcing, compliance, procurement, manufacturing, pricing, allocation, marketing, sales, and inventory replenishment.

• Centric PLM™ is an industry-leading PLM solution for the fashion, outdoor, footwear, and private label industries. It optimizes all product realization processes from planning to development, sourcing, and manufacturing, enabling up to a 50% increase in productivity and a 60% reduction in time to market.

• Centric Planning™ is an innovative cloud-native AI solution that provides end-to-end planning capabilities to maximize retail and wholesale business performance, such as SKU optimization, achieving up to a 110% increase in profit margins.

• Centric Pricing & Inventory™ leverages AI to increase profit margins by optimizing prices and inventory from pre-season through on-season and end-of-season, thereby increasing revenue by up to 18%.

• Centric Market Intelligence™ is an AI-powered platform that provides insights into consumer trends, competitor offerings, and pricing, enhancing competitiveness and shortening the distance to consumers, while increasing the average initial price point by up to 12%.

• Centric Visual Boards™ drives data analysis and visualization, enabling the provision of optimal product lineups to consumers and dramatically shortening assortment development lead times.

• Centric PXM™ (formerly Contentserv) is a cloud platform integrating AI-powered Product Information Management (PIM), Digital Asset Management (DAM), onboarding, channel integration, content delivery, and Digital Shelf Analytics (DSA). By centralizing product data scattered internally and externally, it consistently delivers accurate and up-to-date information to e-commerce, stores, and marketplaces, thereby improving brand experience, expanding sales channels, and maximizing sales efficiency.

Solutions offered by Centric Software are developed based on market needs and trends, boasting the industry's highest adoption rates, customer satisfaction, and fastest time to value. Centric Software has received numerous industry awards and is regularly featured in top-tier analyst reports and research worldwide.

Centric Software is a subsidiary of Dassault Systèmes (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), a global leader in 3D design software, 3D digital mock-up, and PLM solutions.

• Centric Software is a registered trademark of Centric Software, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Centric PLM, Centric Planning, Centric Pricing & Inventory, Centric Market Intelligence, Centric Visual Boards, and Centric PXM are trademarks of Centric Software, Inc. Other third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.