KIGI + Blue Struct + Marushige Pottery New Shop Opens in Shirokane | OUR FAVOURITE SHOP

OUR FAVOURITE SHOP

A Shop with a Large Kitchen Counter and Attached Gallery

New Shop by KIGI + bluestract + Marushige Pottery Opens in Shirokane

The creative unit "KIGI" (Ryosuke Uehara, Yoshie Watanabe), responsible for art direction, "bluestract" (Takehisa Moriya), handling planning and production, and the Shigaraki ware kiln "Marushige Pottery" (Tomokazu Imai) have joined forces to open "OUR FAVOURITE SHOP" in a corner of the residential area of Tokyo's Shirokane.

Text by KAJII Makoto (OPENERS)

Three Parties Collaborating Across Diverse Fields

The space, formerly a factory, was designed by "KIGI" to create OUR FAVOURITE SHOP, featuring a large kitchen counter suitable for cooking and an attached gallery for various uses. It was named "OUR FAVOURITE SHOP" with the hope that it would become a place to disseminate culture—art, design, craft, fashion, music, and more—as envisioned by its creators, and ultimately, a beloved shop for "us," including our guests.

The three circles in the shop's symbolic logo represent the blue of the sky for bluestract, the green of trees for KIGI, and the brown of the earth for Marushige Pottery.

Composed of Original Products and Select Items

The shop and space offer a curated selection of items, primarily products and fashion by "KIGI." This includes tableware and furniture from "KIKOF," a product brand born from the "Mother Lake Products Project" where KIGI collaborates with traditional craftspeople based around Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture; products from the design company "DRAFT" under their brand "D-BROS"; jewelry by artisan Etsuko Sonobe under her brand "Etsuko Sonobe"; and clothing from "CACUMA," created by Yoshie Watanabe of KIGI and "Hobonichi."

Additionally, they carry food products manufactured through "RyuQ (Rukyu)," a project by KIGI and "Okinawa Selp Center" that conveys the wisdom and blessings of Okinawa, with products made at a vocational support facility in Okinawa.

Regularly Hosting Unique Events

Meanwhile, the gallery space is currently hosting a photography exhibition by Mariko Ohya titled "sky, trees, earth," running until Sunday, August 9, 2015.

Moving forward, the shop plans to regularly host events linked to the regional origins of its products, such as "KIKOF" from Shiga and "RyuQ" from Okinawa, as well as exhibitions of art and design, and culinary events, all in line with OUR FAVOURITE SHOP's vision. This new spot, from which diverse creative cultures and products will be disseminated, is certainly one to watch.