Despite being well-established for decades, the upper segment of Tokyo‘s retail landscape continues to evolve at a fast pace. The city’s stature as a global shopping destination is acknowledged by both consumers and brands, and walking around the city’s leading shopping areas shows why. Japan may no longer be Asia’s biggest luxury market, but the maturity and sophistication that’s demonstrated by consumers here, continues to entice fashion’s upper echelon. The opening of Bottega Veneta‘s new flagship store in Ginza, one of two areas in the Japanese capital where luxury brands tend to huddle together, should be seen in this light.

It’s a bold retail statement, and as only the most self-discerning brands do, it’s also expressed through landmark architecture. The store occupies a six-storey building with a façade clad in 900 sqm. (9,688 sq.ft.) of silver panels that collectively mimic Bottega Veneta‘s trademark intrecciato technique. In slight contrast, the store interior includes nods to Japanese culture, featuring local elements, such as Kyoto White plaster, Tamo timber, and a local Japanese rock that was used in the Edo era, across the 800 sqm. (8,611 sq.ft.) retail space.

And obviously, there’s plenty of Italian elements too by way of various kinds of Italian marble, captured mostly by display tables and cabinets, and both furnishings by Giò Ponti and Gianfranco Frattini, two greats of Italian furniture design, and pieces of Bottega Veneta‘s very own home collection. The new flagship store carries the brand’s full range of men’s and women’s ready-to-wear, bags, small leather goods, shoes and eyewear. For V.I.P. clients a private shopping salon is readily available on the fifth floor.