Hermès is delighted to announce the opening of a new address in Tokyo’s Omotesando district on 28th February 2021. This new 488 square-meter home will be the house’s first free-standing store in Tokyo since the opening of Maison Hermès Ginza in 2001. A beautiful boulevard leading to Meiji Shrine, Omotesando Avenue is today lined on both sides with high-end boutiques and zelkova trees.
Its intricate back streets are home to Tokyo’s vibrant street culture, attracting designers and artists from all around the world. It is here, on one of the city’s unique streets, adjacent to Shibuya and Harajuku, that the new Hermès store comes to life. The store’s distinctive façade opens directly onto Omotesando Avenue and incorporates the historic stone wall of one of the area’s most notable buildings, which has been preserved by the Parisian architecture agency RDAI.
The façade is given a contemporary look with a copper-toned stainless-steel grid, adding depth and light to the exterior, just as light and shadows intermingle in a bamboo grove. Upon entering, visitors are greeted by the Ex-Libris in mosaic, inspired by the Hermès Faubourg SaintHonoré store in Paris. On the right side, they can peruse the colorful women’s silk collections, including the new carré Duo Cosmique designed by Kohei Kyomori, and presented exclusively here.
The window display is also specially designed by this young Japanese artist to celebrate the opening. Further on, fashion jewellery, beauty, and perfume, including the latest men’s fragrance H24 are elegantly displayed. In the beauty corner, the Rouge Hermès lipstick collection will wait to encounter new customers from mid-April. On the left side of the entrance, home collections including tableware and men’s silk are introduced. A leather section at the back of the store welcomes bags, small leather goods, and equestrian collections.
Walls are covered in wood paneling and bamboo marquetry, accented by fluid curves, and a selection of women’s shoes is displayed on wooden shelves extending from one of the large pillars. The floor is covered with two shades of greenstone, sourced in Asia and laid in a pattern resembling Japanese tatami mats. Custom rugs with a hue reminiscent of forest moss lend a softness to space. Behind the staircase is a refined area for watches and jewelry.
Finally, customers can pause at a wide table, and enjoy books and a Leporello of unique drawings by French artist François Houtin, displayed in a specially made curved frame. As customers ascend the stairs, they will discover another piece of art, created by Japanese contemporary bamboo artist Shoryu Honda. Inspired by the shape of clouds and infinite Moebius strips, the bamboo sculpture is an example of the sophistication of Japan’s world-class modern bamboo artistry. The sweeping staircase is one of the most striking architectural elements of the store.
The organic shapes of its vertical columns resemble tree branches, while the stairs call to mind pale green stepping stones. Light filters down from the upper level to the ground floor, just as sunlight glistens between the branches of a forest and invites customers upstairs to dive into the women’s and men’s universes. On the second floor, mobile partitions create an intimate space for each métier while giving the illusion of transparency. There are large fitting rooms for both men and women, with the former designed in order to incorporate made-to-measure orders in the future.
Among the selection of special objects created for this opening are a skateboard and a surfboard, both revisited in a special edition with Jan Bajtlik’s design Cheval de Fête, and uniquely numbered Mega Chariot carrés and ties by Daiske Nomura. A newly unveiled Hermès bike made of ash wood will also be presented for the occasion. Paying tribute to local artists, materials, and know-how, this new store is a testimony to Hermès’ strong relationship with Japan and invites local customers and new visitors into a discovery of the house’s creativity and fine craftsmanship in a harmonious and warm environment.
