Tokyo — Friday marked the opening of the latest Issey Miyake concept store in Tokyo’s chic Ginza district. Elttob Tep Issey Miyake brings together select items from each of the company’s several lines, all under one roof.
The Ginza location marks the second Elttob Tep store, after one in Osaka’s Semba area that opened in 2007. Both stores are designed by graphic designer Taku Satoh, and both have a raw, almost deconstructed feel about them, featuring stark white walls and floors coupled with exposed ceiling ducts. The stores take their name from the backward spelling of ‘PET bottle’.
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To commemorate the opening, Issey Miyake will be offering several limited-edition items available only at the Ginza store. These include a series of origami dresses and tightly pleated garments inspired by artist Ogata Korin’s famous Irises paintings on six-paneled gold leaf screens. The paintings will be the subject of an exhibit at Tokyo’s Nezu Museum from April 16.
Also unique to the Ginza store (and available only for a limited time) will be a special re-issue of the popular A-Poc Galaxy series of jeans, and customers who visit the store through today will have a chance to get a free manicure using nail polish made with scallop shells. The polish, which is entirely odor-free and can be removed with regular rubbing alcohol, is made by Kyoto-based S. Ueba & Co.
But perhaps the most popular section of the store will be the Bao Bao Bar, where customers will be able to design and order a customized version of the iconic Bao Bao Issey Miyake bag by choosing from three different bag colors and 21 handle colors. The bags, which are constructed of triangular plastic tiles, will be delivered directly to customers’ home within about a week of placing the order. The Bao Bao Bar will only be open through April 6, so those who find themselves in the Japanese capital should head over to Ginza soon to place their order!
(Photo credits: Kelly Wetherille)
