Tokyo remains one of the planet’s leading shopping destinations where it matters for luxury brands to have a presence. Balenciaga has been present here for many years, but decided to significantly raise its profile by expanding and revamping its flagship store in Aoyama, one of the Japanese capital’s upscale shopping zones. The Paris-based fashion house shared floor space with fellow Kering brand Alexander McQueen in the TS Aoyama Building, but when the latter relocated to Omotesando dori, just a block away, it simply took over the adjacent space. Balenciaga‘s in-house design team has redesigned the building’s lower façade, which now sees six large windows with floor-to-ceiling glass, and a new entrance situated in a recessed porch. Although slightly referencing the Balenciaga flagship store on rue St.-Honoré in Paris, the first retail space to see a new interior design under the tenure of creative director Demna Gvasalia, it has a distinct look of its own. Both the ground floor and upper floor features corridors divided by similar glass and aluminium windows as the façade which aim to blur the traditional boundaries between indoors and outdoors. Furnishings are sleek aluminium shelving, matching cabinets and steel rods to present apparel, leather-clad low benches and floor-to-ceiling mirrors which optically enlarge the space, but upstairs, the setting sees an infusion of colour by way of bright red carpeting embossed with the house’s name, and matching armchairs. The renewed Balenciaga flagship store carries the full range of women’s and men’s apparel, accessories, bags, shoes and the kids collection, and in celebration of the store reopening, a limited edition rain jacket, tote bag and furoshiki handle.
Balenciaga
5-1-3 Minami Aoyama (Aoyama)
Tokyo 107-0062
Telephone: +81 3 66966000
Daily 11-8
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