In a consumer market as mature and savvy as Japan, luxury brands readily go the extra yard to raise their profile and woo clients, and Chanel is no exception. The iconic Paris-based fashion house has a sizeable following in the Land of the Rising Sun, whether it’s fashion or cosmetics and fragrances, and it’s in the latter category where Chanel is shifting gear, opening a new beauty-dedicated boutique in Tokyo. Officially dubbed Chanel Beauty House at Tokyo, the retail space is situated right behind the Chanel flagship store on bustling Omotesando dori, and is nestled in a maze of alleyways lined with upscale boutiques. Occupying a 150 sqm. (1,615 sq.ft.) unit spread across three floors of a modern modern structure, it has been a full makeover by the brand’s in-house design team and now sees a façade dipped in white and overlaid with both sewing pattern lines and various Chanel brand names and phrases. At the side sits a moveable staircase with a chic soft pink awning which allows shoppers easy access to the first floor.
So, what’s on offer at Chanel Beauty House? The ground floor offers an immersive brand experience with the full range of Chanel cosmetics, and it’s done with nifty hi-tech that integrates the digital and physical realms, such as Beauty Recordings, which allow shoppers to save personalised videos of touch-up sessions, and Chanel Try On, a makeover tool to try on makeup virtually. Additionally, a number of specially trained beauty experts are readily available for eight different personalised beauty experiences, and the treatment can be booked through the Chanel Beauty House app (Japan only). And that’s not all! Also to be found on the second floor is a pop-in space which features a rotating programme of Chanel installations. The first one up is Effortless Beauty, a concept which is expressed in an energetic world held together by the pastel colours, and where Chanel‘s essential items are introduced to make effortless beauty come true.
Chanel Beauty House at Tokyo
5-12-1 Jingumae (Harajuku)
Tokyo 150-0001
Telephone: +81 120 692195
Daily 12pm-8pm
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
