Issey Miyake has opened its largest retail project at Westbund Central, the newly inaugurated mixed-use luxury development in Shanghai.
Nestled between the Chinese multibrand retailer SND and the South Korean fashion brand Recto, both still in their hoarding phase, the Issey Miyake store spans about 4,100 square feet and is the brand’s largest in China.
Conceived by space designer and artist Tokujin Yoshioka, a longtime collaborator of the brand who also created its logo, the latest Issey Miyake space spans two stories and brings its six brands — including Issey Miyake, Pleats Please Issey Miyake, IM Men, Homme Plissé Issey Miyake, Bao Bao Issey Miyake and Issey Miyake Eyes, a first for the market — under one roof.
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Known for creating minimal spaces using futuristic textures such as aluminum, the store continues Yoshioka’s obsession with creating a sense of lightness within the retail environment. This time, it also offers an interactive play with the glassy surface of Huangpu River near the shopping mall.
At the entrance of the store is an L-shaped gallery space, which contains a poetic soft sculpture that features three of Issey Miyake’s pleated dresses fastened to a wind turbine, allowing them to bounce and ripple like sea creatures. The installation, also designed by Yoshioka, first appeared at Issey Miyake’s Aoyama store in Japan last October.
The first floor of the store is filled with the May lineup from Pleats Please —which was also inspired by the sea and sandy shores — and its latest Baobao lineup. Both collections remain the company’s most sought-after names in the local market.
The left side of the first floor is home to its Homme Plissé collection and the brand’s eyewear line, the latter created in collaboration with Kaneko Optical, the legacy Japanese eyewear-maker. Its latest Grit collection features 3D-printed styles with a grainy surface.
The top floor of the store, which connects to the ground floor via a glass stairwell, is stocked with the latest from IM Men and Issey Miyake, which are both main lines showcased during Paris Fashion Week.
Issey Miyake’s China business has been operated by the Beijing-based Ningbo Hengcheng Everbeauty Commerce Co., Ltd. since 2012. The brand has since expanded to 22 stores in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing and Xi’an.
Westbund Central, an $8 billion project developed by Hongkong Land, is a part of Shanghai’s West Bund Financial Hub, which is better known as the city’s AI hub.
The project, which began opening in phases this month, consists of a public art center designed by Thomas Heatherwick, named the West Bund Orbit; LEED- and WELL-certified office buildings; luxury residential apartments; hotels, and Central, its flagship premium lifestyle retail series.