Latest news with #Verdy
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Lionesses forward Danelle Tan ready for new challenge in the Land of the Rising Sun
Danelle Tan will be wearing green in 2025 after she signed a one-year deal with Japanese champions Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza. SINGAPORE – Danelle Tan's first season as a professional laid bare the reality of top-flight football. Ready to attack her first campaign in Australia's A-League Women after a positive pre-season, an untimely knee issue and subsequent surgery set her back just before the season began. When the Singaporean returned to full fitness, she found game time limited, with more experienced teammates ahead of her in the pecking order. In May, Tan left Brisbane following the end of the 2024-25 season after making just three appearances. But this first taste of professional football has not dampened her desire to seek opportunities at the highest level. The Lionesses forward has signed a one-year contract with Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza, the defending champions of Japan's top-tier Women Empowerment (WE) League. The 20-year-old went to Europe and Japan for trials once it was certain that her time in Australia was coming to an end. While she had a positive experience with a Portuguese club, Tan said that the offer from Verdy was more concrete and the prospect of playing in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions League won her over. 'Verdy are a huge club and obviously they just won the league last season as well, and to potentially play in the Champions League is immense for me. The calibre of players that I'll be playing with and against will be really high, and so I'm really very excited to get started,' said Tan. The WE League became the first fully-professional women's football league in the country, when it was launched in September 2021. The 2024-25 campaign saw 12 clubs compete with Verdy edging out International Athletic Club (INAC) Kobe Leonessa on goal difference to win the title. The 2025-26 campaign will kick off in August. Tan is the second Singaporean footballer to sign for a Japanese top-tier side. In 2021, Lionesses captain Siti Rosnani Azman inked a one-season contract with Kobe to play in the WE League. Verdy, the inaugural winners of the AFC Women's Club Championship in 2019, are a household name in Japanese women's football and are record 17-time champions of the Nadeshiko League, which used to be the highest division in Japan before the formation of the WE League. They have also produced several players who have gone on to big leagues abroad and the national team. Current West Ham United forward Riko Ueki and Manchester City striker Aoba Fujino came through the ranks at Verdy before joining England's Women's Super League. Mina Tanaka, who has 40 goals for Japan, is also a former Verdy player. Danelle Tan in action for Brisbane Roar during her team's exhibition match against Women's Premier League All-Star team at Bishan Stadium on April 4. ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO At Verdy, Tan will be surrounded by players capped at international level by Japan. They include Nanami Kitamura, Asian Games-winning forward Maya Hijikata, Rikako Kobayashi and goalkeeper Momoko Tanaka, who was in Japan's World Cup squad in 2023. Miharu Shinjo, who was named the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup Most Valuable Player last May, is also one of Verdy's main players in midfield. In Brisbane, Tan found herself in a similar environment – with several Australian senior and youth internationals – and found game time hard to come by. But she insisted that she is not worried, and is focused on being lifted by the high training levels. 'No matter which club you are at, game time is never a given,' Tan said. 'My aim is to keep my focus on fighting and doing well in training, and then if you're good enough, you get to play. 'But when the calibre of players is so high and the training environment is of a very high level, I'm confident that even without game time, I can still improve a lot.' While Verdy is just her second professional side, Tan is not new to club football. In 2023, the former Lion City Sailors forward became the first Singaporean woman to feature in a European league when she played for then English third-tier side London Bees in the amateur FA Women's National League South. Later that year, she became the first Asian to play for Dortmund women's team. With BVB Frauen, she won the fifth-division Landesliga to earn their third consecutive promotion in three years, while also triumphing in the regional cup competition, the Kreispokal, in 2024. She then accepted an offer from Brisbane, signing her first professional contract. While some see her as a trailblazer for women's football in Singapore, there have been inevitable questions on the stability of her career. But Tan is unfazed. 'At the end of the day, it's about finding the right environment, one where you feel you can grow and develop in. Sometimes that means recognising when a certain place isn't the right fit, and having the courage to step into something new,' she said. 'Of course, change can be uncomfortable, and there's always a level of uncertainty involved. But I think that's the reality of the profession especially in the early stages of your career. 'I'm still young and relatively free of major commitments, so I'm in a position where I can embrace those changes and seek out the best opportunities for my development. 'It hasn't always been easy, but I'm grateful for the different experiences I've had so far. They've helped shape who I am, both as a player and as a person.'
Fashion Network
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fashion Network
Guess Jeans opens first mainland Asia flagship in Tokyo
Guess Jeans is set to open its first store in mainland Asia, in Tokyo, on July 4. Located in the Jingūmae Neighbourhood, the store blends Japanese and Californian design influences to reflect the brand's roots while embracing Tokyo's dynamic fashion culture. Spanning four-stories, the store is characterized by a minimalist pure concrete look, complemented by a strong focus on vegetation, including a curated selection of plant species, presented in local ceramic artefacts. Inside, all fixtures intentionally share the minimal yet detailed design language with an open space that creates a continuation between exterior and interior. 'Asia is one of the most dynamic and influential cultural landscapes in the world, and opening our first Guess Jeans flagship in Tokyo marks a major milestone in our continued expansion,' said Nicolai Marciano, chief new business development officer. 'Japan has always been a global leader in design, innovation, and cultural influence—values that are deeply rooted in our brand DNA. This space represents more than retail; it's a platform to engage directly with a new generation of creative voices in the region. We're excited to plant deeper roots in Tokyo as part of our long-term vision for growth across Asia.' As part of the store opening, Guess Jeans is launching the Tokyo edition of its travelling exhibition, "Guess Jeans: The Next 40 Years of Denim". The exhibition celebrates over 40 years of brand history and features denim-washes and styles from the brand's various eras. Likewise, access to the exhibition also unlocks entry to a collaboration with Japanese artist Verdy. Located in the store's basement, the exclusive pop-up shop curated by Verdy brings together exclusive and limited products designed by himself, alongside influential names including Whimsy Socks, Secret Base Hiddy, BoTT, Car Service, See You Yesterday, TTTMSW, The FLWRS, Blackmeans, and Masu. Following its debut in Amsterdam in May 2024, the Tokyo flagship represents another milestone in Guess Jeans' expansion. Guess Jeans has also expanded with flagships in Berlin and Los Angeles set to open by 2025, a large-scale distribution partnership in India and stores across Italy, Poland, Spain, Greece, France, Turkey and Dubai.
Fashion Network
30-06-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Guess Jeans opens first mainland Asia flagship in Tokyo
Inside, all fixtures intentionally share the minimal yet detailed design language with an open space that creates a continuation between exterior and interior. 'Asia is one of the most dynamic and influential cultural landscapes in the world, and opening our first Guess Jeans flagship in Tokyo marks a major milestone in our continued expansion,' said Nicolai Marciano, chief new business development officer. 'Japan has always been a global leader in design, innovation, and cultural influence—values that are deeply rooted in our brand DNA. This space represents more than retail; it's a platform to engage directly with a new generation of creative voices in the region. We're excited to plant deeper roots in Tokyo as part of our long-term vision for growth across Asia.' As part of the store opening, Guess Jeans is launching the Tokyo edition of its travelling exhibition, "Guess Jeans: The Next 40 Years of Denim". The exhibition celebrates over 40 years of brand history and features denim-washes and styles from the brand's various eras. Likewise, access to the exhibition also unlocks entry to a collaboration with Japanese artist Verdy. Located in the store's basement, the exclusive pop-up shop curated by Verdy brings together exclusive and limited products designed by himself, alongside influential names including Whimsy Socks, Secret Base Hiddy, BoTT, Car Service, See You Yesterday, TTTMSW, The FLWRS, Blackmeans, and Masu. Following its debut in Amsterdam in May 2024, the Tokyo flagship represents another milestone in Guess Jeans' expansion. Guess Jeans has also expanded with flagships in Berlin and Los Angeles set to open by 2025, a large-scale distribution partnership in India and stores across Italy, Poland, Spain, Greece, France, Turkey and Dubai.
