Issey Miyake opens a Kyoto boutique in a timber townhouse
From the roof tiles and walls to the pebbles that fill the courtyard, one colour takes centre stage at Issey Miyake’s new Kyoto store in a subtle myriad of shades: grey.
The new Kyoto flagship, located on a low-rise lane in the Sanjo district, is housed in a wooden machiya townhouse dating back 132 years, with a gallery converted from a storehouse at the rear.
The store was designed by Naoto Fukasawa – a product designer famed for his minimal aesthetic and a longtime collaborator of Issey Miyake – who described his inspiration as sumi, a traditional Japanese shade of charcoal grey.
The façade is as discreet as it is elegant: beneath traditional grey roof tiles are vertical rows of dark latticed wood, a minimal ramie fabric noren curtain (white, natural cream or, of course, grey, depending on the season) and sliding doors.
Inside, matt grey walls – created by specialist Kyoto craftsmen mixing charcoal pigment with plaster – are complemented by concrete floors and dark timber frames that rise into a double height ceiling.
A limited selection of Issey Miyake Men and Homme Plissé Issey Miyake clothing is neatly displayed along one side of the store (including an Edge Coat with flowing pleats in a distinct shade of orange exclusive to the Kyoto store).
On the opposite wall, Bao Bao Issey Miyake bags hang in a gallery-like display providing further pops of colour, while the centre is filled with clean-lined dark wood and glass cabinets containing watches, wallets and glasses.
The first standalone Issey Miyake store in Kyoto and the 15th in Japan is many shades of grey. A wall of glass at the rear opens onto a serene grey walled garden filled with a sea of pebbles (each reportedly vetted to ensure they were an appropriate shade of grey) plus two trees, one blooming yellow flowers in spring, the other white blossoms in summer.
A grey slate path leads to Kura – a compact storehouse-turned-gallery with white walls and a dramatically high ceiling, which will showcase several exhibitions a year.
The inaugural show is a brilliant burst of primary colours from the third series of the Ikko Tanaka Issey Miyake collection, featuring the late graphic designer’s motifs on fabric printed, appropriately, in Kyoto. Further pieces from the same series were also showcased on the first floor of the machiya – a mezzanine area among the rafters reached via a grey staircase.
The biggest challenge in creating the space was harmonising gradations of grey across different materials, according to Fukasawa.
‘It was difficult to balance and control the thickness of the sumi in each of the surfaces,’ he tells Wallpaper*. ‘But I think we have made this into a calming space where you get a true sense of the age of the building.’
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Issey Miyake website
ADDRESS
89 Tsuchiyacho
Sanjo-sagaru
Yanaginobanba-dori
Nagakyo-ku
Kyoto
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Danielle Demetriou is a British writer and editor who moved from London to Japan in 2007. She writes about design, architecture and culture (for newspapers, magazines and books) and lives in an old machiya townhouse in Kyoto.
Instagram - @danielleinjapan
-
The visual feast of the Sony World Photography Awards 2024 is revealed
The Sony World Photography Awards 2024 winners have been revealed – we celebrate the Architecture & Design category’s visual artists
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Don’t Move, Improve 2024: London’s bold, bright and boutique home renovations
Don’t Move, Improve 2024 reveals its shortlist, with 16 home designs competing for the top spot, to be announced in May
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Perfumer H has bottled the scent of dandelions blowing in the wind
Perfumer H has debuted a new fragrance for spring, called Dandelion. Lyn Harris tells Wallpaper* about the process of its creation
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
Kiko Kostadinov’s Tokyo outpost is a fashion store like no other
Bulgaria-born designer Kiko Kostadinov tells Wallpaper* why he chose Tokyo to open his first store, which sets to ‘pervert the traditional mould’ and features collaborations with artists such as Ryan Trecartin
By Orla Brennan Published
-
’Issey Miyake: 1960 to 2022’ is a definitive guide to the pioneering Japanese designer
’Issey Miyake: 1960 to 2022’ is a new Taschen book that provides a comprehensive overview of the pioneering Japanese designer’s ’poetic but pragmatic’ work
By Jack Moss Published
-
Issey Miyake’s radiant new Paris store celebrates its deep-rooted links to the city
Issey Miyake’s new flagship store on Paris’ Rue François is designed by Tokujin Yoshioka, featuring a luminous orange wall designed to evoke the rising sun
By Jack Moss Published
-
This season’s womenswear channels freedom and escape
These S/S 2024 womenswear looks promise an escape from the everyday, and are photographed amid the otherwordly landscapes of the Canary Islands for the March 2024 Style Issue of Wallpaper*
By Jack Moss Published
-
Ya-man’s Tokyo store is ‘an immersive, almost psychedelic experience’
Ya-man, the Japanese beauty brand known for its tech-focused devices and gadgets, opens an otherworldly HQ in Ginza, Tokyo
By Daven Wu Published
-
Designer Ronan Bouroullec on his colourful collaboration with Homme Plissé Issey Miyake
The multidisciplinary French artist and designer saw his colour-soaked drawings reinterpreted by the Homme Plissé Issey Miyake design team as part of the Japanese brand’s menswear show in Paris last week
By Jack Moss Published
-
Paris Fashion Week Men’s A/W 2024: Loewe to Hermès
The best of Paris Fashion Week Men’s A/W 2024 in our ongoing report, from Jonathan Anderson’s church of masculinity at Loewe to a consideration of pleasure from Véronique Nichanian at Hermès
By Jack Moss Last updated
-
Year in review: top 10 beauty and grooming features of 2023, selected by Wallpaper’s Hannah Tindle
Our top 10 beauty and grooming features of 2023 span from Prada’s make-up debut to Japanese hair styling and the secrets of Björk’s nail artist
By Hannah Tindle Published