The Glass-Enclosed Atelier, Kikuchi's Creative Hub, is on the Second Floor

The concept for "TAKEO KIKUCHI Shibuya Meijidori Honten" is "a gentle atmosphere for people and nature," aiming to fuse the shop with the street. The first floor clearly separates casual wear and fashion accessories, while the second floor houses suits and custom orders, making shopping easy. Additionally, the second floor features Kikuchi's atelier. Visitors can witness the creative process of Kikuchi, who is 73 years old this year.

Openable Windows: A "Breathing Building"

Tsunehisa Longsaka (スキーマ建築計画), who was in charge of the store design for the first and second floors, commented on the concept for this global flagship store of the TAKEO KIKUCHI brand: "The initially planned building had a glass facade, a single large entrance, and a massive counter directly inside. It was just over a year after the Great East Japan Earthquake, and I was keenly aware of the issues with buildings that lacked openable windows and the importance of community. At that point, the plan felt slightly off. So, I considered a space that leveraged the site's conditions, such as its narrow width and shallow depth, while also adapting to the times, fostering a more open environment that encourages communication between people."

"The building has a frontage of 27 meters but a depth of only 7 meters. If everything were visible from the street, customers might feel hesitant to enter. Therefore, we created large layers—outside the facade, inside, and in the backyard—to form a softly enclosed space, like a grove of trees," he explained.

Furthermore, by adding a bench outside the facade, various sized wooden boxes on the first and second floors, and plants in the backyard, softer layers were created to foster an inviting store environment. With three distinct 'resting' areas—the bench outside, the backyard, and the cafe on the third floor—the aim was to create a space where customers could linger and experience the brand's philosophy firsthand, rather than solely focusing on sales.

Kyoto Bakery "Le Petit Mec" Also Appears

The cafe on the third floor, "Le Petit Mec," is a bakery founded in Kyoto's Imadegawa in 1998, and this is its second location in Tokyo. It has opened as a sandwich specialty shop. Open from 9 AM, it's bustling with fashion industry professionals working in the vicinity from the morning.