Issey Miyake’s HaaT flagship in Kyoto transforms a former sugar store into a pink-hued haven

A timber façade with a pink noren curtain. Centuries-old eaves reflected cleanly in mirrors. Minimal aluminium lines in soft cherry blossom tones. And a wall of glass framing a timeless raked stone garden. HaaT, the Issey Miyake brand rooted in textile innovation, has opened its first flagship store in Kyoto, a minimalist renovation of the historic timber structure of a former sugar store dating back 150 years.

Designed by Tokujin Yoshioka, the store seamlessly blends the past with the future, echoing HaaT’s philosophy of creating a dialogue between traditional craftsmanship and contemporary experimentation.

A Kyoto-style latticed wood shopfront, with neat waves of curved rooftop tiles, is balanced with a signature pop of colour: a perfectly pink curtain at the entrance. Sliding the door open and crossing the stone threshold, the interior feels pure and light, with Yoshioka reinventing the building’s story-etched heritage into a minimalist expression of modern lines, tones and textures.

For Makiko Minagawa, the creative director of HaaT, who spent decades working alongside Issey Miyake, Kyoto is a key hub for the brand (as well as her hometown). HaaT works with numerous textile artisans in the region, as well as across Japan and India, to create inventive materials rooted in meticulous crafts heritage.

Speaking at HaaT / Kyoto ahead of its opening, Minagawa tells Wallpaper*: ‘We have been working with Kyoto’s artisans for many years, creating textiles. The number of artisans is decreasing yearly but we want to keep supporting them and developing creations together.’

She adds: ‘Kyoto is a very important place. It has more than a thousand years of history and artisans are always trying to create something new. This spirit has nurtured Kyoto’s handcraft traditions. We really want Kyoto’s artisans to keep thriving – so we want to continue working with them and hope this store will create more opportunities to showcase their work.’

The starting point of the design concept was simple, according to Minagawa: ‘We’ve been working with Yoshioka-san for a long time so I didn’t need to give him specific instructions. I just said that Kyoto’s machiya townhouses are generally all brown with white walls – and I’d like some pink.

‘From there, the pink concept expanded – soft pinks, almost white pinks, various shades. Yoshioka-san created the Olympic torch from a cherry blossom-dyed aluminium. He said that pink suits Kyoto and the pink idea gradually grew.’

A sense of Kyoto imbues the new HaaT store from the start. The shop, on Aneyakoji Street, has an unusually wide façade measuring 12m. Here, a grey stone boulder – reminiscent of a tea-room entrance – is set smoothly into concrete on the ground beneath a pink curtain floating in the breeze, creating a soft transition between in and out.

Entering the space, there is an immediate sense of lightness not typically associated with often dimly lit Kyoto machiya townhouse architecture. Centre stage is an updated framework made of new timber, with a traditional stone garden at the rear visible through a wall of glass.

The atmosphere is lightened by a soft contemporary material palette. There are smooth swathes of light grey concrete floors, contrasting gently with a pink-white shade painted on walls, as well as cleanly cubed display and counter units.

A sense of dynamism is evoked by accents of aluminium, tinged with soft tones of cherry blossom pink – with clothing hanging from a horizontal hanging rail cutting cleanly across one side of the space, creating angular lines of shadows; plus a wall of modular pink panels which are adjustable for displays.

For Yoshioka, the space is shaped by an essential notion of creating something new, rather than replicating the past, as he explains: ‘The design undertaken in this project was not merely an effort to reproduce a traditional townhouse or to renovate its interior, but rather a comprehensive reconfiguration of the building itself.

‘By retaining only the structural framework and roof and redesigning the entire architecture – including the façade – the project sought to reconstruct the structure as a new and original work of architecture.’

The dialogue between past and future is perhaps best captured at the rear of the store. Here – Minagawa’s favourite spot – a glance up reveals the beauty of the original wooden eaves overhanging a large window framing garden views. The timber craftsmanship is subtly highlighted by mirrored surfaces on walls either side, evoking a clean and light infinity effect.

Yoshioka adds: ‘This fusion gives life to a space where the spirit of Makiko Minagawa’s creations breathes quietly. In this harmony between inorganic material and traces of meticulous handwork, a new form emerges to bridge the past and the future.’

Since launching in 2000, HaaT has carved a distinct creative path as a womenswear brand focused first on textiles, fusing heritage craftsmanship with exploratory technology, as brought to life in three lines: Every Month, Every Week and Every Day.

Textile innovations are written into HaaT’s DNA – from lightweight crinkly Kyo Chijimi fabric, which is woven with twisted threads in pure spring water in nearby Shiga, to kabira, an Indian hand-stitching technique creating soft dimensional surfaces reminiscent of Japanese sashiko embroidery.

At the new HaaT store, exclusive items include the cloud-like texture of light Kumo Shibori pieces and graphic patterned wool clothing called Roving Kogin, woven in shades of pink or grey and white.

‘My inspirations come from the makers we work with,’ explains Minagawa. ‘Japan and India share many similarities. Both cultures make things that last, repair what is worn and have traditions that evolve. Sustainability is essential because it keeps traditions alive. And for the future, the idea of always creating something new is important.’

HaaT / Kyoto. 569 Kikuyacho, Yanaginobanba Higashi-iru, Aneyakoji-dori, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto

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