Phoebe Gates And Louis Vuitton Open Store At Isetan Shinjuku In Japan

Following the remodeling of the “Trust Style” on the third floor in January this year, the Isetan Shinjuku Main Building has now reopened a part of the lineup of the women’s clothing/luxury floor on the fourth floor, with other floors scheduled for review in the future.

　The fourth floor of the main building is the floor that attracts the most fashion-conscious customers of the store. In many luxury brand stores, customers often purchase small items such as bags and jewelry, but on this floor, the sales ratio of clothes, as well as miscellaneous goods, is higher than in other stores. With this refreshed reopening, the store has created a sales floor that allows for one-on-one support, and is pursuing high-quality and personalized experiences and fashion suggestions.

　Kondo Shota, Executive Director and General Manager of Isetan Shinjuku Main Store, Sales Division, said, “Our three-year revitalization phase, which aimed to achieve high quality and sensitivity, is nearing completion with only six months remaining, with the addition of high-quality brands such as Louis Vuitton. However, customer needs are constantly moving forward, so our buyers will need to look even further into the future to understand those needs. Until now, the product lineup came first, but we are now well on track with a cycle of stocking products that meet the changing needs of customers and then communicating that product lineup to them. We want to continue to meet our customers’ expectations.”

How will the lineup change?

◆ Louis Vuitton opens second store following Men’s Building, customer feedback encouraged opening

　The highlight of the refreshed opening is Louis Vuitton. This is the second store in the Isetan Shinjuku store, following the second floor of the Isetan Shinjuku Men’s Building that opened in March this year, and the fourth in the Shinjuku area. The street-front store opposite the Isetan Shinjuku store is still open.

　For many years, Louis Vuitton was the brand most requested by customers of Isetan Shinjuku to open a store there, but the store’s aim of creating an “editorial” floor layout that fuses various brands together did not match Louis Vuitton’s store design policy of placing importance on the brand’s worldview, and so the store was not able to open. However, many customers of Isetan Shinjuku also visit the nearby street-front store, and it was understood that “there is an affinity between the customer base of Isetan Shinjuku and Louis Vuitton,” and after many years of successful negotiations, the store was realized. Due to this background, an open store design that encourages movement around the floor has been adopted, which is rare for Louis Vuitton located in a department store.

　In the new store, in keeping with the characteristics of the fourth floor, where many customers are acquainted with the brand through clothing rather than miscellaneous goods, the lineup is not centered on miscellaneous goods, but rather on a wide range of apparel items and shoes that have appeared in the collection. To commemorate the opening, high-priced limited items and pre-sale items are also available.

The store also started carrying “PHOEBE PHILO,” which has been attracting attention since it was announced that it will begin selling in Japan. Isetan Shinjuku is the second store in Japan to carry Phoebe Philo, following Dover Street Market Ginza, which began selling on October 26, and is the first department store in Japan to do so.

　To mark the launch, a corner focusing on Phoebe Philo has been set up on the fourth floor of the store. The storefront space, designed by staff from the US, features around 60 items from a wide range of categories, from clothing to bags and shoes, tailored to the tastes of the store’s customers.

Opposite Louis Vuitton, AURALEE’s first women’s specialty store and MADISONBLUE’s first department store have opened.

　The sales floors for both brands have been deliberately placed opposite Louis Vuitton, the highlight of this refreshed opening, to focus on brands that make products from Japan. When asked why they were selected, the buyer cited “high quality,” commenting, “They may look a little casual compared to the other brands on the floor, but you’ll be pleased with the quality of their craftsmanship. We want to offer ‘next-generation luxury, not status.'” AURALEE was also available at Re-Style on the third floor of the main building, but from now on it will be consolidated in the new store on the fourth floor.

　The London-based fragrance brand “Perfumer H” will also have its first store in Japan on the same floor. This is the first time a beauty brand has opened a store on this floor of the Isetan Shinjuku store. As customers who use this floor are also very interested in beauty brands, the store will be proposing beauty items as part of their lifestyle in the future.

On the fourth floor, there are sales areas for jewelry brands such as Cartier and Bvlgari, but as the fashion boutiques and jewelry sections tended to be separated, the structure was changed to make it easier to organically shop around. The jewelry section was set up in the busy area next to the escalator in the center of the floor.

　The store carries international fine jewelry brands such as Cece Jewellery , Marie-Hélène de Taillac, Sophie Bille Brahe, and Robinson Pelham.

　These brands, characterized by their colorful designs and cute motifs, have a different atmosphere from the fine jewelry lined up in the jewelry area that has been developed so far. A buyer said, “I think it will be a new proposal, but I think it will also appeal to the younger generation of customers who are emerging on this floor.”

　In addition, “Herno” and “The Row” have reopened on the 4th floor after a refreshed period. The Row, which was originally located on the 3rd floor, has moved to the 4th floor.

　”Prime Garden,” a select shop unique to this floor, previously had its own separate space, but has now been repositioned to weave through the sections for each brand. By combining the space for each brand with an editorial corner, customers are encouraged to shop around.

In the center of the area is a lounge space with rows of modern chairs. It is primarily used for entertaining guests, but orders for the chairs can also be made.

　Prime Garden’s customer base has traditionally been mainly in their 50s and 60s, but in recent years it has become younger, with the focus on mid-30s to 40s. The content will be changed to reflect the changing customer base, and the space will be revamped from the traditional item shop image to one that is “luxurious yet realistic.”