Showing 1-21 of 21 results
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109
Shibuya 109 is the department store selling the trends du jour of Shibuya's youth culture, whether it's the minidresses in blindingly saturated colours for the gyaru set or the bunched-up ankle socks the schoolgirls are so fond of pairing with their tiny skirts.
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A Bathing Ape
This exclusive outlet of the uber-hip urban and hip-hop outfitter line is more like a museum than a shop, with fab sneakers on a rotating steel conveyor belt, mirrored surfaces and lots of sparkle. You can pick up Bape plastic models and some of the coolest bags in town.
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Bapexclusive
BAPE (A Bathing Ape) is no longer the madly exclusive brand that made it so desirable - this shop is testament to how underground designer Nigo's brand isn't , but how wildly successful it's become. BAPE has a dozen or so 'secret', hard-to-find shops around Harajuku and Aoyama; this one's a good starting point for brand fans and architecture buffs.
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Beams
The Beams chain has spread across Japan and over to Hong Kong, but all the best of Beams - from basic to superstylish men's and women's clothes, accessories, cool housewares and a gallery - has been concentrated into the seven floors of this Shinjuku shop.
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Bingoya
Richly dyed washi (handmade paper), vibrant batik textiles, regional ceramics and a quality assortment of folk crafts fill out the five floors of this wonderful shop. Find handmade glassware, cushions and Japanese tea cups for feathering your nest, or painted fans, happi (half-length coats) and washi -covered tea canisters.
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Blue & White
Amy Katoh, the expat American behind this small crafts store, sells traditional and contemporary items like indigo-dyed yukata (light cotton kimono or robe) and painted chopsticks, all in blue-and-white. Pick through tiny dishes of ceramic beads or collect bundled-up swatches of fabric for your own crafty creations.
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Comme Des Garçons
The architectural eccentricity of Kawakubo Rei's flagship store should come as no surprise - her radical designs have been refiguring the fashion landscape for more than 20 years. Both men's and women's fashions are on display. Most available sizes are quite small, but a quick circuit of the shop is interesting in itself.
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Evisu Tailor
In the early '90s, the detail-obsessed founder of Evisu began producing jeans the old-fashioned way, using rescued looms and weaving methods, helping to spawn the Japanese selvedge denim craze. At Evisu Tailor you can choose the pair you want and have the Evisu logo custom-painted on, or discreet denim-wearers can opt to go logoless.
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Frapbois
Frapbois is all the rage among young Japanese fashionistas. Frapbois designs have a free-flowing hippie aesthetic and are worth a look to gauge which way the trend is blowing.
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Gdc
Tucked away on a Daikanyama backstreet, this is an increasingly popular casual wear label under director Kumagai Takashi that focuses on cool T-shirts with provocative designs like its 'Black America' series. Lines include the hip-hop-oriented Raw Fudge and Ventura, as well as outdoorsy Ugly for women.
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Hayashi Kimono
This very friendly shop in the dowdy International Arcade under the railway has been selling quality kimono and yukata for over forty years. The former may run about around ¥100 in silk, and the latter (lightweight cotton) half that or even around ¥2800 - many are very colourful and make excellent gifts. Foreigner-friendly sizes are also available.
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Hysteric Glamour
It's actually tongue-in-cheek rather than hysteric glamour, but whatever you want to call it, it's sexy and fun. These designer confections are a good place to start for hip fashion with a Tokyo twist. There's even a toddler line, the ultimate in designer punk for your little rocker.
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Issey Miyake
Before Issey Miyake put Tokyo on the fashion map, Japanese designers were known to copy Western trends after they'd already hit the runway. Miyake's work has changed such conceptions. Check out the A-POC garments - each made from a single piece of fabric.
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Laforet
Expressing identity and individuality is a function of fashion, and Tokyo youth are famous for taking this concept to the next level. Sample this in action at Laforet; surveying the shoppers is equal to the window shopping, and once you've gotten the hang of the half-floor concept, you can count your way up to the 6th-floor museum.
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Q Flagship Ebisu-Nishi
Sharing a building with Hacknet, Q Flagship Ebisu-Nishi presents its clothing and accessories like candy, or jewellery. Many pieces are originals by local and international designers from as far abroad as Australia and Italy, but the shop also designs a house collection. Sizes are limited generally to those fitting svelte Daikanyama figures.
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Restore
This small but selective secondhand shop along Komazawa-dōri is stocked with middleweight vintage as well as last-year's look. APC and Yohji Yamamoto rub shoulders on the hangers here, and they carry both men's and women's garb. Recycle and refresh your wardrobe.
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Shibuya 109
Tokyo's fad-obsessed fashionistas come to 109's circular tower for the season's freshest looks. Most of the clientele is girls under 20; the punk fabrics and wild designs reflect this - it's what kids are wearing on the street.
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Tsumori Chisato
After working under Issey Miyake, designer Tsumori Chisato launched her own line in 1990 with the blessing of her mentor. Now she designs fun, well-tailored clothing that falls gracefully along the lines of the body while retaining a whimsical aesthetic, using beading, embroidery and eye-catching appliqué.
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Undercover
Former punk band frontman Jun Takahashi's take on youth-minded streetwear is still crazy after all this time. His Undercover Lab, designed by architect Astrid Klein, is just up from Yohji Yamamoto.
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Uniqlo - Chūō-ku
Like Muji and the Gap, Uniqlo has made a name for itself by sticking to the basics. Offering inexpensive clothing with simple lines, this chain has opened over 80 stores in Tokyo. A convenient place to pop in for an extra set of cheap jeans or plain shirts.
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Yohji Yamamoto
Wander down Omote-sandō to check out Yohji Yamamoto's bold, timeless designs. Though there's no sign on it, his flagship store is recognisable by its distinctive bronze façade, which you'll want to get past for a look at the experimental interior.
Showing 1-21 of 21 results
