3rd

What 3rd does

3rd Inc. is a Tokyo-based brand development company that creates and operates a portfolio of 15+ proprietary direct-to-consumer brands spanning fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and art categories, including co-developed IP such as INKAR with Pininfarina. Founded in 2016 by CEO Masayoshi Kawamura, the company initially provided digital marketing and EC consulting services before pivoting in 2019 to proprietary brand operations. It targets Japanese women consumers across multiple style personas, from minimalist and street-chic to age-authentic fashion for women in their 50s (PLUS OTO.HA), and launched its first beauty brand in 2024.

The company's operating model is built on a "high-velocity trial-and-error" framework: each brand operates its own Shopify-based e-commerce storefront with minimal inventory and weekly new product releases, supported by a flat organizational structure of approximately 30 members in which junior staff and interns run significant paid-media budgets autonomously. Customer acquisition is driven by owned social channels — 2.5 million Instagram followers and 2 million LINE friends across the portfolio — supplemented by influencer collaborations, pop-up events, and earned media in Forbes Japan, VOGUE Japan, GQ Japan, and WWD Japan. Data-driven measurement of "emotional resonance" through sales and engagement signals feeds back into brand iteration.

Revenue is generated primarily through direct online sales of owned brands, with a secondary legacy stream of brand consulting. International expansion began in 2022 via the UAE (Pininfarina collaboration) and accelerated in 2025 with a Taiwan pop-up store; North American brand launches are planned. The company has set a public roadmap of ¥20B in sales by 2028, ¥100B by 2032, and ¥1T enterprise value by 2036. 3rd is privately held, has not disclosed institutional funding rounds, and ownership appears concentrated with the founder.

Name

3rd

Legal name

3rd株式会社

Website

https://3rd-inc.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

3rd Inc. is a Tokyo-based brand development company that operates 15+ proprietary D2C brands in fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and art through owned Shopify storefronts, targeting Japanese women consumers with data-driven, high-velocity brand launches.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fashion & Beauty D2C Brands

NAICS

Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (456120), Health and Personal Care Retailers (456)

SIC

Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600), Retail-Women's Clothing Stores (5621)

akta.pro primary industry

Beauty & Personal Care Online Retailers (CRAFADAC)

Keywords

• D2C brand development
• Fashion brand portfolio
• Direct-to-consumer retail
• Beauty brand operations
• Shopify e-commerce brands

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. D2C Brand Sales: 3rd operates 15+ owned brands across fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and art. Revenue is generated through direct online sales via brand e-commerce sites (Shopify-based). The company maintains minimal inventory and operates a no-overstock model, releasing new products weekly per brand. This is the primary revenue driver.
2. Brand Consulting: Early-stage business (2016–2019) involved digital marketing support and EC consulting for external clients. The company has since transitioned to proprietary brand operations but continues to offer brand-related consulting services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

3rd inc. creates, launches, and operates a portfolio of 15+ proprietary direct-to-consumer brands across fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and art categories (e.g., Lumier, Frene, PLUS OTO.HA, IAMALPHA, ANDREA&Co., The Masks, 浦和アリサ, INKAR). Each brand operates its own Shopify-based e-commerce storefront with weekly new product releases under a minimal-inventory, no-overstock model. The company also provides brand consulting and digital marketing services to external clients.

Product overview

3rd inc. is a D2C (Direct-to-Consumer) brand development company that creates and operates multiple proprietary brands across fashion, beauty, art, and lifestyle categories. The company operates a portfolio of 15+ brands including fashion brands (Lumier, Frene, ESICA, AIJAN, IAMALPHA, Riche Mood, ANDREA&Co., Yukko, HARUNOBU MURATA), beauty brands (浦浜アリサ with hydrogen packs), art/lifestyle brands (The Masks art masks), and IP/luxury collaborations (INKAR with Pininfarina). The company also provides brand consulting services. Brands are developed through rapid trial-and-error, combining data-driven analysis with creative sensibility, and operate primarily through e-commerce channels with social media marketing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lumier:
• ニュアンスカジュアル
• 金澤楓
• PLUS OTO.HA
• Frene
• ESICA
• AIJAN
• IAMALPHA
• Riche Mood
• ANDREA&Co.
• The Masks
• INKAR
• Reonie
• 浦浜アリサ
• HARUNOBU MURATA
• Pininfarina

Quantifiable outcome

• 250%+ annual brand growth rate maintained through rapid iteration
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Pininfarina (Italy)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 20223rd collaborated with Italian design house Pininfarina to launch 'INKAR', an IP brand centered on automobiles, in the UAE market in 2022. This represents 3rd's first major international brand collaboration with a luxury design house.
• 株式会社デジタルホールディングス (Digital Holdings)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 20213rd co-launched a problem-solving fashion brand with Digital Holdings in 2021, combining 3rd's brand development expertise with Digital Holdings' digital marketing capabilities.
• Cultural Fashion College (文化服装学院)minorOthers · 1 January 2021CEO Kawamura gave a guest lecture at Bunka Fashion College's Fashion Tech Seminar 2020 (a Ministry of Education commissioned program), speaking on D2C and fashion as part of the college's cutting-edge business curriculum.
• 株式会社オプト (Opt Inc.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 November 20203rd and Opt formed a D2C brand co-development partnership combining 3rd's brand-building and DNVB methodology with Opt's social media marketing expertise. An initial实证实验 (proof-of-concept) brand was planned for January 2021 to study how SNS-formed communities influence purchasing behavior, aiming to establish a D2C success methodology.
• トレンダーズ株式会社 (Trendsters Co., Ltd.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 October 20203rd partnered with Trendsters' co-creation incubation platform 'TREND STUDIO' to jointly operate D2C brands. This was 3rd's first major co-development partnership, enabling shared brand development resources and market validation through Trendsters' platform infrastructure.
• ShopifycoreTechnology or Integration · 16 May 20203rd was certified as a Shopify Expert Partner, one of a select few companies worldwide with proven Shopify e-commerce development and scaling capabilities. All of 3rd's brands operate on Shopify storefronts, making this a foundational technology partnership for the company's entire D2C model.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/3rdinc.tokyo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 3rd