Everything Is Cooler in Japan, Especially Clothing Stores
Everything is better in Japan. Also, water is wet and the sky is blue. These are the facts of life. But on a recent trip to Japan, a Highsnobiety editor was reminded exactly how good clothing stores are in Japan, less of a revelation than a reminder. Even stores in New York, where Highsnobiety has an office, can't really compare to Japanese boutiques — inside or out.
Just check out Moncler, Prada, and Supreme's slick Tokyo flagships! They're wrapped in "puffers" or tucked into artsy buildings that practically sell the product before you even step inside. Even Coach, whose mass-market product is also available at more conventional stores throughout the Japanese capital, occupies a sculptural building on Harajuku's Cat Street that's so obviously good that people come just to get coffee from the cafe outside.
We could go on. But let's focus on two main events that epitomize the best parts of shopping in Japan.
First is Bode's Tokyo store, which only just opened before we arrived in Japan.
This is an extension of the retail concept that began with Bode's New York flagship, amped up for ritzy Uehara.
The wicker chairs and quirky retro furnishings likely sourced with Green River Project, the interiors company owned by Emily Bode's partner, Aaron Aujla, are typical of Bode boutiques — bonus points for the repurposed New York Times newspaper rack.
But the centerpiece is a "store within a store" section that erects a standalone wood-paneled nook within the broader shop, complete with inset shelves and hooks for hanging the season's statement jackets.
And then there's Coverchord, a perfect example of what's called a "select shop" in Japanese: a retailer that "selects" many makers of clothing, accessories, home goods, shoes, and so on to comprise a cohesive shopping experience.
Coverchord admittedly has a leg up on the competition, because it's operated by the parent company of extremely good clothing label nonnative.
With over two decades in the biz, you know that nonnative (and thus Coverchord) knows what the people want.
The exterior is classic Japanese retail, subtle enough to blend into its Nakameguro neighborhood but homey enough so that anyone paying attention can pick it out. Little wonder that this was one of the busiest stores in the area. Inside, Coverchord made warm and breezy by its wood floors and matching fixtures, with soft lights deployed strategically to brighten up anything not flooded by its portrait window.
Take it all in at once or by way of the details. Either way, you paint a picture of true clothing obsession (the cool kind, that is), one that demands every facet and item be considered. It's not just the layout, which gives equal weight to disparate goods to better encourage patient browsing, but the balance of stuff. And Coverchord has a lot of stuff. It's spaced out with intent, with complementary bags, shoes, clothes, and assorted items all sitting neatly side by side to propose outfits and wardrobes.
It's unfair to put the weight of an entire country on Coverchord's shoulders so let's acknowledge that not all stores are created equal. It does no one a service to lump all boutiques together; generalities flatten everything, even ones with a positive lilt. But the selection — Coverchord offers everything from tried 'n true favorites like AURALEE and Comoli to technical outdoor gear and niche flavors like Cristaseya and Farah Japan — and presentation speak to the best aspects of Japanese fashion retail.
It's style and substance, a beautiful facade only beaten by the spread of nerdy and hard-to-find products. If you really care about this stuff, you get it. You just want to soak it all in. And then dive into the racks.
Japanese retail experiences aren't better merely because they're Japanese. Even if you factor in Japan's ingrained adherence to customer service, it wouldn't mean anything if the stores weren't worth perusing. But they are. If, in Japan, "the customer is god," then the shopping experience is heaven.
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