Following Gentle Monster‘s arrival in the Land of the Rising Sun in Spring of last year with a shop-in-shop at Hankyu Umeda department store in Osaka, it took a little time before the popular eyewear brand would entered Tokyo‘s retail arena. Well, that was yesterday. The wait has been worth it as Gentle Monster has secured a top location in what’s arguably the city’s leading luxury shopping grounds—Aoyama. Occupying a sizeable two-level space on the premises of The Jewels of Aoyama, a mixed-use building with a striking façade which sits right next to Prada’s futuristic glass tower, the Gentle Monster flagship store is infused with the brand’s signature retail aesthetic. Created by the company’s retail design team in Seoul, the interior design, simply themed 3.0, shifts away from the brand’s previous emphasis on bold props, and although nifty hasn’t been abandoned, on the contrary, it features decorative installations that are considered more approachable. Upon entering the Gentle Monster flagship store, shoppers encounter three giant head kinetic objects whose expressions seem absorbed in deep thought, showing softly blinking eyelids.

The latter facial movements aim to signal an awareness of each other, emotions, and the relationship between people. Interspersed in the setting are displays and shelving which present Gentle Monster‘s coveted offerings, while a separate corner has been dedicated to an installation showcasing the newly launched second Maison Margiela x Gentle Monster collaborative collection. One floor up, the so-called exploration of the inner self extends in a more robust form. We’re talking a large abstract Gorilla sculpture, symbolising the wild and free inner sentiments that are very similar to the brand’s core values, and a Star installation which stands for man’s shining heart within, individuality and emotions. Similar to downstairs, the various eyewear collections are presented in and around the installations. The new Gentle Monster flagship store stocks the full range of optical eyewear and sunglasses. Simultaneously, affiliated cosmetics brand Tamburins has also opened a two-storey flagship store, its very first in Japan, right next door. © superfuture.com