The LEMAIRE brand has had a sizeable fanbase in the Land of the Rising Sun for a long time, and we’ve wondered, given the fact that there are already two previously opened standalone LEMAIRE stores in the region, no branded retail space could be found here. Well, that was yesterday. The Paris-based fashion house has just inaugurated a flagship store in Ebisu, a largely residential area of Tokyo. Going the extra yard, LEMAIRE has secured a 170 sqm. (1,830 sq.ft.) former private residence built in the 1960s, lined with trees in front and a private garden at the back. Unsurprisingly, LEMAIRE creative directors Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran retained the home vibe, retaining many elements of the original structure while also implementing new ones. Spread over two floors, the settings ooze traditional Japanese home, featuring walls covered with old-style Japanese plaster while bamboo Sudare blinds handmade are paired with sliding Shoji paper screens.
Blended in, with an obvious French touch, are signature LEMAIRE fixtures, such as the iconic ‘Freud couch’, reproduced in the living room with three vintage Kilim rugs, handwoven wadded panels or abaca mats covering the first floor. A number of pieces from European designers subtly echo the diverse influences connecting each LEMAIRE store. The new store carries the full range of men’s and women’s apparel, accessories, shoes, bags, small leather goods, jewellery pieces and home scents. Similar to the flagship store at home base Paris, the retail space in the Japanese capital doubles as cultural space where a rotation of exhibitions, concerts and creative experiments will be held for the LEMAIRE fanbase. The French fashion brand continues its collaboration with Makoto Kobayashi, owner of local atelier and gallery shop out of museum, starting with the display folk objects. For the opening, shoppers can experience a curated playlist by musician Kali Malone as well as a selection of publications on women. © superfuture
LEMAIRE
3-21-1 Ebisu (Ebisu)
Tokyo 150-0013
Daily 11am-7pm
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.
