Inaugurated earlier this year, Tokyo Midtown Hibiya is a glittering 35-storey tower in Yurakucho, a business district in the heart of Tokyo. Although it’s not a shopping destination with an established stature as neighbouring Ginza, the area is within the latter’s sphere, and is able to claim considerable foot traffic. The newly opened building is home to 60 shops and restaurants, and a cinema with 11 screens and 2,200 seats on the lower floors, and corporate offices from the eleventh floor upwards. Contemporary fashion label A.P.C. operates a fairly extensive network of standalone boutiques and shop-in-shops in the Japanese capital, but lacked an outpost in this part of town. Well, until now that is. The Paris-based company has opted for a lofty 175 sqm. (1,884 sq.ft.) unit on the second floor of this shopping centre, and once again tapped architect and longtime collaborator Laurent Deroo to create an interior design.
The applied aesthetic loosely takes cues from The Peninsula and the Imperial Hotel, two nearby buildings with striking architectural features. The unit’s concrete shell has been dipped in a pristine white hue which optically widens the space. A wooden panel runs across the middle section to the back of the store, and it’s backlit as well, boosting the aforementioned effect. A variety of furnishings and paneling in the same material – occasionally paired with glass elements – create separate sections, and helps to balance out the brightness. The back wall, crafted from polished white mortar and large slabs of mirror, is inspired by traditional Japanese folding screens, and quite similarly, it’s used to create a private space. The new A.P.C. store stocks the brand’s full range of men’s and women’s apparel, accessories, bags and shoes.
A.P.C.
Tokyo Midtown Hibiya, 1-1-2 Yurakucho, Second Floor (Yurakucho)
Tokyo 100-0006
Telephone: +81 3 62733535
Daily 11-9
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